Friend of One, Hero to All
by Toner of ShadoWs
Summary: Begins one year after TLO. The titans have risen up again, led by Gaea this time. Percy leaves the gods to fight the war without him because of heartbreak. When the gods realize that they need his help, is it too late? Minor-ish Chaos in it. My first fanfic. R&R, I hope you like it! *TITLE CHANGE!* Used to be: Percy Jackson and the Trident Thief
1. A Hero Returns From a Quest

**AN: Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction. (I hope you like it!) I'm new, and there's a ton of stuff I don't know. So if I get anything wrong somehow, please let me know :D**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Percy Jackson. But I wish I did. (Do I have to put up disclaimers for every chapter?)**

**Chapter 1: A "Hero" Returns From a Quest**

**Percy's POV**

I slashed my way through the weak defenses of the campers on the other side, stabbing them, dodging attacks, skirting around traps, and throwing jars of Greek fire. Soon, the forest was on fire, but I kept running through the trees, knowing that I was getting closer to Ares's flag, which was, naturally, going to be in front of Zeus's fist. Campers scrambled all over the place, rolling on the dirt of the forest floor, screaming, to try to put out the fire that streamed from their armor.

I heard an Aphrodite kid cry out, "Those were my favorite pants!" She stood up and brushed dirt off her scorched, soot-covered jeans. _Shouldn't have worn them for capture the flag. _I smirked. Aphrodite kids hadn't worn armor ever since the day they got away with sitting next to the creek, doing each other's hair during capture the flag.

Since I didn't want to wake up in bed one day with centipedes swarming all over my body, I summoned a wave of water and doused the fire. Immediately, shouts changed from "Ah! I'm on fire! Get it off, get it off!" to "Whew. Thanks Percy." _Ha. Wouldn't be saying that if you knew I was the one who started the fire in the first place._ The Aphrodite camper was soaked to the skin, her jeans now ruined. She trudged back towards the creek, probably to join her sisters again. _What was she doing in the forest anyway?_ I didn't have time to dwell on the question.

I ran through the trees, making sure no one could recognize me. I had my helmet on and kept my head down, so the only thing they could see about me was that I was on Athena's side, because of the blue plume on my helmet.

I dodged around a tree and stumbled in a clearing, immediately taking notice of the long, red banner of Ares, standing proudly in front of Zeus's fist. There was no one in sight. With a satisfied sigh, I pulled my helmet off and dropped it on the ground. I strode over to the flag and ran my fingers down the silk. I grasped the pole and was ready to yank it out of the ground when a voice stopped me.

"Not so fast, punk."

I turned. Clarisse stood at the edge of the clearing with her spear Maimer clutched in her fist and ready to fight with a murderous look in her eyes. I knew it had been too good to be true. _Oh well._

I uncapped Riptide and charged. Clarisse parried my first slash with her spear, and then counterattacked with a thrust, which I easily dodged.

"Getting rusty, aren't you?" I taunted. But Clarisse was one of the smarter Ares kids. She wasn't going to fall for my insults.

Snarling, she feinted to the left. The small battle lasted longer than I expected while we exchanged blows, each looking for an opening in the other's defenses. I was aware that every second we fought was another second for the campers to find and help Clarisse. _I have to end this._ I thought for a second while lunging at Clarisse. She leaped back and brought her spear down between us. I glanced at it, seeing it crackle with energy.

_Maimer! _I cursed. Why hadn't I thought of that before? Her spear was electric.

I threw open my arms, holding them out to the sides. _She'll take the bait. _Clarisse drew her spear back, ready to stab me. I grinned. Just as she began to thrust her spear forwards, I liquefied the air above the head of her spear. _Thanks for teaching me how to do that, Dad. _I smiled. Water splashed down, and I maneuvered it so that it carried the electricity from Maimer back to Clarisse.

Getting electrocuted is not something you can shake off easily. Thalia's zapped me with lightning enough times for me to understand that. Clarisse stumbled, hair smoking and armor drenched. I used that distraction to knock her out with a quick blow to the head with Riptide's hilt. She crumpled to the ground.

Grinning, I turned back to Ares's flag and slowly tugged it out of the ground. Then I ran towards the creek.

I didn't see anyone in the forest until the creek was in sight. The Aphrodite kids stopped gossiping and doing each other's hair long enough to wave at me. I waved back uncertainly. They giggled and went back to braiding their hair.

The first person that saw me jogging towards the boundary line was Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, on border patrol. _Shoot. _Immediately, I sent a wave of water to his head, hoping to at least knock him over, and ran on. He saw it, and dodged to the side, the wave splashing harmlessly to the ground. I saw him glance at me. My instincts told me that he was going to shadow travel. They were right. I clicked Riptide to life and looked around. Nico tumbled out of a shadow to my right, looking slightly more tired. _Good. _Regaining his footing, he ran towards me, Stygian Iron sword drawn and pointing in my direction. I summoned some water into a thin wall between us and froze it into a form of solid ice that was very hard to see. Another trick Dad taught me after the war.

Nico ran right into the ice wall I had made. I created three more sides to the wall until he was surrounded by a box of ice. Cursing, he dropped his sword and blindly patted the air in front of him. Unfortunately, the ice took a lot of energy for me to create and maintain. _I need to practice that._ I abandoned the wall. Nico was still stuck in the small ice room, but it would melt soon.

I lifted the banner of Ares, and ran past him. Across the creek, Katie Gardner dashed out of the forest, carrying Athena's flag. Her siblings ran behind her, growing tall weeds in the path of the Hermes kids, who were led by the Stoll brothers. The Athena cabin burst out of the woods, Annabeth in the front. Her eyes met mine, and she grinned. But then her expression turned to horror.

"Percy! Behind you!" she screamed.

I turned just in time to block a sword slash from a bulky son of Ares aimed right at my neck. Sure, I still had the Curse of Achilles, but it still would've hurt. I looked behind him to see the rest of the Ares cabin, minus Clarisse. I quickly disarmed him and planted a hard kick on his chest before backing up a few steps and summoning some water to swirl around me. To my horror, the Hephaestus cabin arrived. Half of them showed up on the other side, battling the Hermes cabin. And half of them stormed out of the forest behind the Ares kids. I looked towards Nico and saw him hacking at my ice wall, with a dozen skeletons and Pollux, son of Dionysus, helping him. The ice was melting fast and he was about to break free. I swore.

The Apollo campers were nowhere in sight, but I knew they would show up soon, announcing their arrival with a golden arrow shot at the enemy.

I glanced back and saw Katie racing towards the lake again, her siblings and the other half of the Hephaestus cabin fighting the Hermes and Athena cabins. She was halfway there when she… tripped? She did a face-plant on the ground, and tried to get up, but she couldn't. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. _Annabeth. _She'd take care of Katie.

But then I heard the distinct sound of glass smashing. I looked back and saw Nico standing with his sword held in front of him, the wall in a puddle of water and ice behind him. Pollux had fallen to the ground. I readied myself for a tough fight. The Ares kids would be tough, as would the children of Hephaestus. Pollux wouldn't be very hard to take out. Nico would be the real problem. A child of Hades, who could summon the dead, shadow travel, and then still have enough energy to fight me evenly, was formidable. He had gotten stronger, spending the last couple of months in the Underworld, learning how to control his powers better, just like me.

I steadied myself as Nico charged. The Ares and Hephaestus kids followed him into battle, but I easily knocked them to the side with a wave.

"Hey, Ares! Is it just me, or have your kids gotten worse?" I yelled up at the sky. Ares's kids all wore angry expressions, but the sky remained calm. I locked swords with Nico and tried the disarming maneuver I had learned when I first came to camp. But he anticipated it, and somehow avoided it. Pollux stood up. He was probably going to try to fight me, but before he could try, I solidified a large basketball-size piece of air above his head into ice, and let gravity take care of the rest. He collapsed onto the ground.

As Nico and I struck at each other, the Ares and Hephaestus kids swarmed me, trying to get past my guard, but I took them out one by one. An Ares kid got too close to me, and I took advantage of that and banged his helmet with Riptide. He went down. A Hephaestus kid came at me, swinging his hammer, and Nico thrust his sword at me. I deflected it, sending it into the breastplate of the Hephaestus camper, leaving Nico unbalanced. The Hephaestus kid stumbled, but didn't fall. Nico was vulnerable. I raised Riptide, and was going to slam its hilt into Nico's helmet, but a skeletal warrior sprang out of the ground and took the hit. I cursed. His head rolled off his shoulders. I slashed once, and he disintegrated.

Suddenly, a golden, blunt-tipped arrow shot out of nowhere and hit Nico in the head, knocking him out. The Apollo cabin was here. A volley of arrows struck down the remaining Ares and Hephaestus campers who were still standing. Then I was the only one standing on this side of the creek. The Apollo campers dropped out of the trees on the outskirts of the forest. I hefted the flag and jogged towards the creek, the boundary line.

On the other side, the Stoll brothers and Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother, were doing a great job keeping Katie and her siblings occupied. But when they saw me nearing the creek with their flag slung over my shoulder and the Apollo campers behind me with their bows draw, they fought twice as hard. Katie was fighting against Travis. As I watched, she disarmed him, and made a dash for the creek, but once again, an invisible force tackled her to the ground. I grinned, slowing dramatically down to a walk as I neared the boundary line. Annabeth pulled her Yankees cap off, shimmering into sight, rolling her eyes at me. I smiled at her. She was beautiful.

I capped Riptide, and put my sword back into my pocket. Then I raised Ares's banner and, with Athena's side cheering, stepped across the boundary line.

Shouts of surprise rang out in the air, my victory forgotten. "James! You're back!" someone shouted.

The campers all mobbed a boy with black hair and emerald eyes. "Guys, guys. As awesome as I am, I still got to breathe. Can you get off me?"

Yep. My 15-year-old half-brother, James, was back after a two-month long quest.

_**Flashback – 11 months ago**_

_**Percy's POV**_

_It was almost dinner when I heard the cry._

"_James! Run! Somebody help!"_

_I had just dipped my feet into the lake. I looked towards the direction of the sound and saw a kid with black hair and green eyes running up the hill, a satyr following behind him. There was a truck-size hellhound trying to pounce on the satyr, who was trying to keep it back by throwing flattened cans at it._

_Immediately, I jumped up, pulled Riptide out of my pocket, uncapped it, and ran towards them. I ran past the kid just as he reached Thalia's pine. He was safe, but the satyr still needed help. But before I could get to him, a blur of darkness crashed into the hellhound. I identified it as another hellhound._

"_Mrs. O'Leary! Good girl," I said._

_The satyr didn't seem to understand that one of the hellhounds was on our side and kept throwing the cans. "Hey!" I shouted. "She's on our side!"_

"_It's a hellhound!" he shouted back. "They're all evil!" _Wow. This satyr is obviously new. _I sighed and dragged him up the hill, past the pine tree._

_By then, Mrs. O'Leary had clawed the other hellhound to dust. "Good girl," I smiled._

_I went back up the hill with Mrs. O'Leary following me. She had been guarding the camp with Peleus. The satyr stared at me, then looked at Mrs. O'Leary like she was dirt scraped off the bottom of his hooves. I glared coldly at him, and he backed off._

"_What's your name?" I asked the new kid._

"_James. James Walker."_

"_Hey James, I'm Percy Jackson." We shook hands._

"_Come on," I told him, reaching down to pet Mrs. O'Leary. "Let's go find Chiron."_

"_Chiron?"_

"_Yeah. He's the camp activities director. He's a centaur, half-human, half-horse."_

"_A centaur?"_

"_Yep. Ever heard of Greek mythology?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_All of the gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, they're all real."_

"_Uh… Ok." He looked shocked, but he was taking this better than I expected._

"_So do you live with your mom or your dad?"_

"_My mom."_

"_That means that your dad is a god."_

"_Which one?"_

"_He'll send a sign soon. How old are you? You look older than thirteen."_

"_Yeah, I'm fourteen, fifteen in a month."_

_I stopped in my tracks. My thoughts were racing. _Fifteen?_ The gods hadn't been keeping their promises. I would have to talk to them. They had sworn on the River Styx!_

_My face must've showed some of my shock, because James looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Are you ok?"_

"_What? Uh… Yeah, I'm ok." I probably didn't sound too sure about that, but James accepted it and left me alone while we walked through camp._

_We found Chiron at the archery range, teaching the younger campers how to hold a bow properly._

"_Chiron!" I yelled, getting his attention. "A new camper!"_

_He nodded, swishing his tail back and forth. "Godly parent?"_

"_We don't know yet. They should send a sign soon. His name is James Walker. He's almost fifteen." We exchanged a glance, and I could tell that Chiron was upset about the gods breaking their oath so soon. We both stared above the kid's head, waiting for a sign to appear._

_The kid stared back at us with a look of confusion. Then the air shimmered above his head and a sign appeared. A green hologram of a trident. He was a son of Poseidon._

_Chiron gasped and my eyes widened. _Poseidon? _I never thought that he would be the first to break the oath. I was disappointed, and yet part of me was excited. I had another half-brother! But how had he survived fifteen years without being found by a monster? He was a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three. He should have radiated demigod scent like a light beacon and attracted every monster within a one-mile radius. I didn't have time to ponder the question. It was almost dinner._

_At dinner, whispers broke out, and campers stared as I led James to the fire to sacrifice some food to the gods. The younger campers Chiron had been teaching had probably told everyone. I had given James a short five-minute tour before dinner, but he was still a little confused. I'd have time tomorrow to show him around again._

"_Quiet everyone!" The whispers died down as Chiron made his announcement._

"_All hail James Walker, son of Poseidon!"_

_After dinner, I showed James the cabins, helped him settle in at cabin three and led him to the woods for capture the flag. Then I went back to the new salt-water fountain in my cabin and Iris Messaged my dad, telling Chiron I had something to do. Chiron understood and nodded at me, telling me to rejoin the game when I got back._

_Dad was in his underwater palace, talking to a merman. He noticed me immediately, and the merman was dismissed._

"_Hello Percy! How have you been?"_

"_How have I been?" I retorted. "I just found out that I have a _half-brother _who you just claimed. He's almost _fifteen_. Why dad? Why did you break your oath? You swore on the River Styx."_

"_Look, Percy. It's… It's just not what you think it is." He paused._

"_Then tell me! Tell me why!"_

"_I… I didn't know."_

_My anger ebbed away and was replaced by confusion. "You didn't know? How do you not know you have a kid?"_

"_I… I just don't know how I didn't know… but I don't even remember him. I don't know who his mother is. I don't remember being with anyone after Sally. Your mother… I loved her, and I still do. But when James showed up at camp… Somehow, I just knew I had to claim him. He does look like one of my sons. But I can't drive away the feeling that he's just not mine."_

_I was lost in thought. "Dad… I gotta tell Annabeth about this."_

"_Alright Percy. Good-bye." He swiped his hand through the Iris Message._

_I saw Annabeth after capture the flag. Athena had won against Ares again, after Clarisse and her siblings decided to take out their revenge for me on James and accidentally shoved him into the creek._

"_Annabeth!" I shouted._

"_Hey, Seaweed Brain."_

_I smiled, and then turned serious. I explained what my dad had told me about James. But even Annabeth couldn't figure it out. Then it was time for the camp sing-along with the Apollo cabin, and the Iris Message faded from my mind._

_**End flashback**_

**AN: And there's the first chapter! So, do you like it? Any suggestions for the story is welcome, just don't feel sad if I don't make it that way you want. Review?**


	2. Camp HalfBlood Loses a Valuable Camper

**AN: Chapter two is finally here! Thanks for all the views, favs, and follows, especially the review. Even if it was pretty short! Thanks Bacon Burg! That review made me happy! :) Please tell me what you want out of this story :D**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 disclaimer. Yeah, I don't own Percy Jackson…**

**Chapter 2: Camp Half-Blood loses a valuable camper**

**Percy's POV**

The crowd parted to let James through to Chiron.

"Welcome back, my boy. How was the quest?"

"It was a success," James replied. The look on his face said that we shouldn't talk about it anymore in front of the other campers.

Chiron summoned all the cabin counselors to the Big House to talk about James's quest. As soon as we were all there, he started talking.

"What happened, my boy?"

"I defeated Oceanus. Father was right. He was the one. I had to fight him alone, since the gods can't help us on our quests. But before he ran away, covered in cuts and bruises, he said that he'd be back."

"They all say that," said Nico, with a bored expression on his face.

"No. He said something else. He said, '_Mother_ _will avenge me_.'"

"Well then he's just a mommy's boy. Nothing to worry about," sneered Clarisse.

"It could be. Oceanus's mother was Gaea," said Annabeth, smiling at James. _Huh?_

"Gaea? Isn't she the primordial Earth goddess?" asked Katie.

"Yes. She is also the mother of the Titans, and the grandmother of the Gods. She's a very dangerous enemy."

"And you're saying she's going against us to avenge her son?" said Clarisse, turning towards James.

"Yeah."

Clarisse looked like she was about to say something insulting back. Ever since he had come to camp, she had hated him. And even she was smart enough to know that Gaia would be extremely hard, if not impossible to defeat.

_**Flashback – 11 months ago**_

_**Percy's POV**_

_The day after James was claimed, Clarisse cornered us while I was giving him a tour around._

"_And this is the arena. We have sword-fighting classes here," I explained as we both watched a son of Ares beating up a straw-stuffed dummy. "Come on, I'll show you the armory."_

_We were almost halfway there when Clarisse stepped in front of us._

"_New kid?" She sneered._

"_Yeah," I said. "He's a son of Poseidon, so you'd better watch your head. Don't want to get it stuck in the toilet again."_

_Clarisse growled with anger and stormed towards me. At the last second, she twirled and spun towards James, smashing his nose flat with her fist. I was mad and raised my hand, the creek rising up. Then James took a hold of the water I had summoned and directed it all towards Clarisse. She got hit full-blast with a couple hundred gallons of water. She lay on the ground, choking. James smirked._

"_What the hell, James? You could've killed her!"_

"_She punched me in the face."_

"_Well, yeah, but still… never mind." I ran to help Clarisse._

_Clarisse had gotten what she deserved, but she still had water in her lungs. James just stood there, watching her try to draw air into her water-filled lungs. With a wave of my hand, I dispelled the water in her lungs. As Clarisse sat up, glaring at James, with a look of appreciation in her eyes for me, James turned on me._

"_Why did you, bro?"_

"_Look, you can't just go around attacking campers without helping them if they get seriously hurt. Besides, Clarisse does this to everyone. She's a daughter of Ares."_

_He almost growled at me, and then walked away. "I think I'm done with the tour. I basically know this place anyway."_

_I offered Clarisse a hand. Although she glared at it in disgust, she took it. "James is kind of a jerk, but he's a son of Poseidon. He'll come around." _I hope.

_She just growled._

_**End Flashback**_

"Alright, the meeting is over. I have to inform the Olympians about Gaia," said Chiron.

We stepped out the Big House and all walked towards our cabins.

"So," I said, walking faster to catch up to James, "How'd the quest go?"

"Fine. I defeated Oceanus without father's help."

I swear, his ego was bigger than Olympus. I tried again. "So, do you think you'll get another quest?"

"What, you think I won't? I've got to be the best demigod at camp. Or course. They'll probably _beg_ me to lead a quest for them."

My eyes narrowed and when we got to cabin three, I immediately called, "Lights out!" I didn't care if he was in bed or not. I heard him stumble around a couple times. Then he fell onto his bunk promptly fell asleep, snoring deeply.

**Time skip to the next day, after lunch**

After lunch, as I headed out of the dining pavilion, I heard footsteps behind me. I glanced back and saw an Aphrodite camper who looked slightly familiar. She was following me. I stopped walking and turned around to face her. I recognized her as the one who was in the forest while we were playing capture the flag.

"Um… Why are you following me?" I asked her.

She seemed to hesitate and think, but then she ran forward and smashed her lips against mine. My eyes widened in surprise. Then all I could think about was the soft pressure on my lips. My heart was pounding in my chest and my mind was racing. _Why would she kiss me?_ Her nails dug painfully into my neck. I tried to break away, but she pushed me closer to her. I struggled, but it was next to pointless. Finally, after we had been kissing for almost two minutes, I got my hands between us and roughly shoved her away. I stared at her in disbelief and was about to yell at her in disgust when I looked behind her, over her shoulder.

A black-haired boy was patting the shoulder of a girl. _James?_ The girl, her hands covering her face, shrugged it off and ran towards the cabins. Her blond hair was bouncing on her back. Suddenly I realized what that girl had wanted. Curse Aphrodite and her children. All they wanted was love and heartbreak. I wanted to run to the beach and dive into the ocean, but then I'd lose Annabeth for sure. _Annabeth._ The official architect of Olympus. That beautiful, grey-eyed Wise Girl. The girl I had fallen in love with. I couldn't lose her.

I gave my best glare to the daughter of Aphrodite, resolving to deal with her later. Then I raced towards cabin six. I could hear sobbing coming from inside. I knocked on the door. When Annabeth didn't answer and just kept sobbing inside, I pushed open the door and went inside. I found her lying on her bunk, head in hands, tears seeping through her fingers.

"Hey, Annabeth."

She looked up and stared at me with those beautiful round grey eyes. They were filled with anger, hurt, even a little bit of betrayal. My heart almost broke at the sight of them.

"Look, Annabeth… It's not what it looks like…" I didn't know how to continue.

"It's not what it looks like?" Annabeth whispered, her eyes never straying from mine. Her voice was hollow. "It's exactly what it looks like. You, making out with _her_." Her voice rose. "Right in the middle of camp! And you thought I wouldn't see you? Percy, I may not be smart enough to know that you have probably never loved me, but I am smart enough to see you kissing Audrey!"

_Ouch. _That hurt a lot. My temper flared. "Audrey? That Aphrodite camper? I didn't even know her _name_. Besides, I didn't kiss her, she walked up to me after lunch and just kissed _me_!"

Annabeth hiccupped. "Seaweed Brain… Percy, how am I supposed to believe that? Please, just leave me." She turned away.

"Annabeth! No… please… let me stay. I – I can explain." I put my arm around her shoulders.

She shrugged it off. "No." Her voice went hard. "I already understand. My mom was right." Her voice broke down again. "I shouldn't have… You weren't… You're just not the one for me."

I felt my eyes growing moist. I stared at her back in disbelief. "Annabeth, I did everything for you! _Everything!_ I even turned down _godhood! All for you! _Please, just give me another chance!"

"No," she said firmly. I heard her take a deep breath. "No. Just leave. I'm done. If I can't have the former savior of Olympus, at least the future savior of Olympus will have me."

She sat on her bunk, staring at the wall.

"Annabeth! No! Please…" _Former savior of Olympus? That was me. But the future savior of Olympus? Who was that?_ I kept talking to her, trying to get her to see the truth. But she just sat there with an empty stare. Finally, I just couldn't take it.

"Fine. I'll leave. But know this: I would _never _cheat on you, Annabeth Chase." I turned my back on my disbelieving girlfriend and left before the tears could spill down my cheeks.

**Annabeth's POV**

"Fine. I'll leave. But know this: I would _never_ cheat on you, Annabeth Chase." And then he left.

Immediately, I broke down sobbing again. Part of me just wanted to believe that, wanted to run after him and throw my arms around him again. That part wanted him to hold me against his chest, breathe in the smell of the sea, and know I was safe. But the other part of me didn't believe it. _He cheated on you! With an _Aphrodite _kid!_

_No! He's Percy! He's Seaweed Brain! He would never do that!_

_Wouldn't he? What was that you saw when you came out of the dining pavilion? They were _kissing_, Annabeth. _Kissing. _Face it. He was cheating on you._

_No! He wasn't! That wasn't what I saw._

_No? Then what _did _you see? _You saw them kissing! _A full-on kiss-on-the-lips! How many times did he do that with you?_

_Once…_

_Exactly! And you still deny it?_

_Yes… He… He would never do that…_

_But he just did!_

_You… You're right…_

_Yes! Yes, I am! He's just not the one for you. You'll find another._

_No… No one will be like him… Sweet, caring, loving Seaweed Brain…_

_Sweet? Caring? Loving? Was he sweet to you when he kissed Audrey?_

_Maybe she kissed him…_

_No! Did he care about you when he kissed Audrey?_

_Maybe he was thinking…_

_Of course not! Did he ever _love _you? He kissed Audrey. He loves _her_._

_Yes… He does love her… It's not me anymore…_

_No, it's not._

_Yes… You're right. He doesn't love me anymore._

_Now that James kid… The _other_ son of Poseidon… He was sweet, caring and, loving, wasn't he? He was all along!_

_Yes…_

_He helped comfort you when Percy broke your heart, didn't he?_

_Yes. He's much better than Percy._

_Yes. He will never break your heart._

_No. No, he won't._

_And, you've already gone on one date with him, right?_

_Yes._

It was official. I was breaking up with Percy.

**Percy's POV**

As soon as the door to cabin six closed behind me, I took off towards the beach. I needed to be near the ocean, where I could calm myself down. I sat down on the sand and stared at the waves. They moved smoothly and were calm. _Wow, dad must be in a good mood._ I decided to Iris Message him, and tossed a drachma through the ocean mist where the afternoon sun made a rainbow. I saw my dad before he could see me.

He was talking to someone… _Athena?_

"Finally, you have a son who is worth dating my daughter, Barnacle Beard! I actually approve!"

My dad actually smiled at the goddess of wisdom. "Thank you, Athena. James is a special one."

I almost growled with anger. I uncapped Riptide and swiped it through the Iris Message. James and Annabeth had been _dating?_ When had that even _started?_ No wonder she smiled at him at the counselor meeting. And she had been so upset when he had gone on the quest to find and retrieve dad's trident. And at the cabin… _"future savior of Olympus". _When had she started cheating on me? _How much was a lie? Probably all of it._ And Athena. She approved? But hearing my dad had been the worst. He had _smiled _at his archenemy, a real, genuine smile. I loved Annabeth. Correction: I _love _Annabeth. But things will never be the same between us again.

I stood up. I didn't want to go near the ocean. Poseidon had been fine with Annabeth and James. _Why would he care about me? _I was the former savior of Olympus. But the _future savior _had come. I wasn't needed anymore.

I made my decision. I snuck into my cabin and quickly stuffed my remaining possessions into my backpack.

I left a short note: _You will regret that you ever disbelieved me. I loved you, and I still do. But that love has been betrayed._

On the back: _Camp-Half Blood has been my home for five years. I'll always miss this place. Chiron, you'll always be a teacher to me. To Nico: You'll always be a friend and one of my favorite cousins. Don't come after me. I can take care of myself. To Thalia, when she comes with the Hunters of Artemis: You'll always a favorite cousin. I know you'll miss me, but just forget about me. It's best that way._

I placed it behind the bloodstained Minotaur horn hanging on the wall. I wouldn't need that where I was going. I fingered Riptide in my pocket. It was the first magic item I had owned, given to me by the same dad who now favored his other son. Even though holding it reminded me of dad, which reminded me of the Iris Message, I still kept it with me. It would return to my pocket anyway if I left it here. _One more thing, then I leave._

I left my backpack on my bunk. I'd come back for it.

I walked through camp, keeping in the shadows. But a certain son of Hades also loved the shadows.

"Percy!"

I turned. "Oh. Hey, Nico. I… uh, I gotta go."

He looked at me oddly. "Um… Ok." Then he shadow traveled somewhere else in camp.

I ran the rest of the way to the Pegasus stables, staying in the shadows as much as possible. Luckily, no one else saw me. I went in the stables, looking for Blackjack.

_Hey, boss._

"Blackjack. You still have to call me boss?"

_Yeah, boss._

I sighed. "Blackjack… I'm leaving."

_Not on a quest… right?_

"No… Annabeth's been cheating on me for… I don't know how long… And she thinks…"

_I know. I saw. Chiron let me out and I was flying around camp._

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to tell you. Bye." I hugged Blackjack and stepped away.

_No, boss! I gotta come with you!_

"No. You can't."

_Why not, boss?_

I thought. "True… Can you get to the top of the hill, next to Thalia's pine, without anyone noticing?"

_Sure, boss._

I lead him out of the stables and ran to get my backpack. When I got to Thalia's pine, Blackjack was already there.

_What took you so long, boss?_

"You sure about this? I'm not coming back."

_Yeah, boss._

I took one last look at the camp. And then I stepped out of the magical barrier and jumped on top of Blackjack. "Let's go."

_Where to, boss?_

"Let's just get away from here first."

He took off, the camp growing smaller in the distance. _How long until they notice I'm gone? If they ever do…_

_They will, boss. Some of them still care about you._

"Thanks."

And we flew away, one destination on my mind.

**AN: There's Chapter 2! Like it, love it, review! Please? :D**


	3. There's No Place Like Home

**AN: Chapter 3! Wow, this story is coming along. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd be glad to have some more ideas for the story. :D**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! So many! Much appreciated and loved.**

**Rocketter101: Thanks.**

**GirlOfTheShadows: Ok. I'm updating right now.**

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**MysticLion: :D Your review made me laugh. Thanks.**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: Hopefully you'll see in this chapter. ;)**

**fish321: There may be romance, I'll probably let you guys choose who it is.**

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**Fire of water: Thanks :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy. (How many times do I have to say that…)**

**Chapter 3: There's No Place Like Home**

**Percy's POV**

Blackjack and I landed right in front of my mom's apartment. I don't know what the mortals saw, but they were looking at me with confused expressions on their faces. I ignored them, leaped off Blackjack, and knocked on the door. My mom opened it.

"Percy?"

"Hi Mom–" My words were muffled against her hair.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh…"

"Where's Annabeth?" she asked. But then her eyes glistened with tears as she took in my sad eyes and hurt expression. "Did she…"

I soundlessly nodded.

"Tell me everything. Now."

"Mom…" I gestured at the mortals who were staring at us.

"Right. Come inside!"

"Mom, wait! I want you to meet someone. Mom, this is Blackjack," I said, rubbing his neck.

_It's nice to meet your mom, boss._

"He says it's nice to meet you," I told her.

My mom was born with the ability to see through the Mist, so she could tell that Blackjack was a Pegasus. "Hey, Blackjack…"

"Can we… uh, both… come inside?"

"Sure, if you can fit him," she said.

Getting Blackjack through the door was a pain. It took almost five minutes, even with his head tucked down and his wings folded in as close as they could get. Finally we were all in the living room.

"Now, tell me everything," said my mom, crossing her arms.

I told her everything that had happened to me at camp, how Audrey had kissed me and how Annabeth had thought I had cheated on her. I told her how I couldn't take the heartbreak, how I left camp, and how Blackjack had carried me here. She listened with a sad expression. I could tell that she never thought Annabeth would ever suspect that _I _would cheat on _her_. I told her how Annabeth had actually loved James, my half-brother. I finally finished my rant, and we both sat in silence for a while on the couch.

"Percy… Annabeth, how could she? Will she notice you're gone?"

"James… We're in the same cabin. He will, but he practically hates me. I know he won't tell anyone I'm gone. He might not even notice…"

"Do you still have things in your cabin?"

"Yeah, I left the Minotaur horn… I wrote a letter. I left it behind the horn."

"I'm so proud of you, Percy." She smiled at me. "But even after you saved Olympus, that they would still do this to you… Does Poseidon know?"

I looked down. "Athena approves of Annabeth and James together… And Dad… Well, he agrees with Athena."

A look of hurt crossed my mom's face. "Well, you'll always be welcome here, Percy."

"Thanks, Mom." I smiled.

**Annabeth's POV (at Camp Half-Blood)**

I sat down with my siblings at dinner and tried to wrap my mind around the facts. I numbered them all in a list.

1. Percy broke with me, or I had broken up with him.

2. He had been cheating on me with Audrey.

3. I had, technically, been cheating on him with James.

4. I had only gone on one date with James.

5. Percy's relationship had gone so far along that he would kiss her in plain sight of everyone.

6. He was cheating on me more than I was cheating on him.

7. I hated Audrey.

8. I loved James.

It took me a while, but my mind understood all those facts by the time dinner was done.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the empty Poseidon table until Malcolm pointed it out to me.

"Where's Percy? He's not at his table," he said.

"I don't care," I retorted. Audrey wasn't at the Aphrodite table either.

Malcolm had a confused look on his face. "Why not?"

He was a son of Athena, one of my half-brothers. He should have figured it out by now. "Did you see me crying in the cabin? He _cheated _on me, with _an Aphrodite camper._ Do you think I care about him now?"

His face cleared, and he looked almost disappointed, like he expected more of Percy. "Oh. Sorry for asking."

I faked a smile, even though I knew he could tell. "It's ok. He's probably somewhere else, making out with her. She's not at her table."

"Who was it?"

"Audrey."

"Audrey?" he said incredulously. "_Her?_"

I sighed. "Yeah. I got to go." I all but ran out of the dining pavilion.

I ran so fast that I didn't notice the girl running towards the dining pavilion. We both weren't looking and crashed into each other.

"Oh, gods! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" I asked, holding a hand out to help the blond-haired girl up. The fact that she looked familiar crossed my mind before I saw who the person was. It was Audrey.

My hand dropped back to my side. "_You,_" I growled. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything. I'm so sorry for running into you," she said, almost whimpering. I was confused for a second, but then I noticed that she was teary-eyed.

I may not have liked her, but I wasn't heartless either, so I helped her up and asked her what was wrong.

"Percy," she said. My eyes narrowed at his name, but I didn't interrupt. "He," she sniffed and rubbed her nose, "He broke up with me. He said," another sniff, "I wasn't good enough for him. Then he left camp. I… I don't understand."

I immediately felt pity for her. What was wrong with Percy? He wasn't the sweet, caring, loving Seaweed Brain I knew. Why was he breaking people's hearts? Only Aphrodite's kids did that. I loved Percy, but after what happened… I don't anymore. And if he left camp, then I was glad for his absence. I still had my heartbreak to get over. James was helping me with that. I realized after he comforted me that I loved him.

Audrey didn't have someone to comfort her, so I figured that I would help her. I smiled at her, and she seemed to brighten a bit. "Audrey," I said, "I'm sorry about Percy. It's probably best if he really left. Since he's broken up with both of us, why don't we put our hatred for each other behind us and be friends?"

She smiled at me gratefully through her tears, and I led her to the Aphrodite table in the dining pavilion. It was my first friendship with an Aphrodite camper after Silena. And I felt like I genuinely liked Audrey.

**Mystery Person's POV**

"Everything is going according to plan, my lord. The boy has left that pathetic camp."

"Good," I said. With the boy gone, Olympus would fall against my attacks. "The Olympians…"

"They know, but do not suspect a thing, my lord. The boy's father thinks it is 'good riddance' that the boy is gone."

"And where has the boy fled?"

"His mother's apartment, my lord."

"That is only to be expected. However, he cannot be so close to Olympus. If we attack, his fatal flaw will prevent him from turning his back upon his friends. If he is anywhere near the Empire State Building when we attack, he will defend it. Dispatch a monster to kill him."

"But, my lord, he is too powerful."

I curled my lip in disgust. "You _will _follow my orders without question! _You_ will go to kill the boy. Take the Minotaur. He will not expect the beast to have reformed so soon. You will kill him, or die trying."

"Y-yes, my lord."

The Empousa backed out of the room. She was an average commander, but not the best. The army would be better off without her. She would never be strong enough to kill the boy, but the boy would leave, in fear of endangering his mother. It was… _what was the quote? Ah, yes. _I was "killing two birds with one stone."

I walked into command room, up to the stage. The monsters were all looking at me in anticipation, hoping that my news was what they wanted. It was.

"We attack tomorrow!" I shouted, unsheathing my sword and raising it over my head.

The monsters cheered.

But then the dirt behind me formed a giant hand, yanked the sword out of my hand, and dropped it on the ground. "No."

I turned and groaned. Dirt slid across the ground to form a figure made entirely out of dirt standing behind me. "Mother."

"Yes, son?"

"We attack tomorrow," I said. "We must catch them by surprise!" There were a few cheers in the crowd, but they were silenced as the earth swarmed up their legs, imprisoning them.

"No," she said again. "You will not attack tomorrow. We are not yet strong enough. We must trade the element of surprise for the chance to raise more of my children. We must try to turn more minor gods and demigods. Without them, the gods are nothing. We have already lost one war because of that boy. You will make sure that boy is gone before we begin preparations."

"The boy has run away from camp. My son took care of it."

"Then that is out of the way. But there is still much more to do." She stuck a hand in the ground and pulled it out. She walked towards me, holding out her hand. A bracelet with a charm dangling from it shaped like the planet earth lay in her palm. "One spy is not enough. Even with your son as well, we must have more demigods with us. What happened last time is proof of that."

My mother brought up good points, but I was still restless. "But last time it was Kronos! _He _underestimated the gods! I will do no such thing," I protested. "_I _will not lose the war!"

"Nonetheless, my son, you must wait. Now is not the time." With that, the figure melted back into the earth.

I groaned. She was right, as always.

**Percy's POV**

I lay down on the couch in the living room with a pillow under my head and fell asleep immediately. Unfortunately, it wasn't a dreamless sleep.

_**Percy's Dream**_

_I saw Nico. He was standing over my bunk in cabin three._

"_Percy… Percy, where are you? Where did you go? Percy, come back," he kept muttering._

_My blankets were a tangled mess on the bed. The Minotaur horn was still on the wall. Nico hadn't found my letter yet. He was still muttering._

"_Percy… Come back. You probably don't want to… Everyone at camp has forgotten you. Annabeth. She doesn't know… And there's James. He's odd. He doesn't feel like the sea… He feels… older, somehow, older than the sea… I can't explain it… It's probably just me… Man, I'm talking to myself here." He stood up and cocked his head to the side, as if thinking. "Someone's watching… Percy?" He turned and looked straight at me. It looked like he could see me, but then he turned away._

"_I could've sworn…"_

_Nico stared gloomily at my bunk. "The least I can do for him is move his stuff so that stupid brother of his doesn't take it…"_

_He started pulling out the things I had left. When he finished, he walked away, but then turned back. The Minotaur horn was still on the wall. He took it and pulled it off. My letter fell to the ground. He picked it up and started to read._

_The dream shifted and changed._

_Now, I was on Olympus, in the middle of the throne room. The gods were having a council and didn't seem to notice me. But then again, this was a dream._

"_Brother, why have you called us here?" asked Dad._

"_Gaia is rising," stated Zeus flatly. The god of theater didn't have any dramatics anymore. He knew he was screwed with the mother of the titans gaining power._

"_We need my son, the one who ran away from camp," said Dad. The way he said it made me want to punch him in the face._

"_As much as I hate to admit it, Barnacle Beard is right. We need Perseus," said the goddess of wisdom, looking worried. _They needed me?

"_The camp had barely noticed that Peter Johnson was gone. Only Chiron and I had, and the son of Hades, Nick Angel, when I left for the council," Dionysus drawled with a bored expression._

"_We don't need the punk," said Ares. "He ran from camp like a coward. Clarisse could take Gaia."_

"_Ares, Perseus fought and defeated _you_," said Athena. _Was she actually defending me? _"We actually do need him. We must order a quest."_

The gods needed me? _My first thought was to go back to camp. But then I remembered Annabeth and Audrey. And James. I didn't owe them help. They didn't deserve it. I didn't consider them my friends anymore._

"_We have not yet told the demigods about their Roman siblings, have we?" said Zeus. "Now may be the time."_

_Athena thought and nodded. "Yes, Father. We should. We must order two quests. One to find Perseus, and one to seek the Romans' help."_

"_Hermes," commanded Zeus, "Go down to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow and tell Chiron we need a quest."_

_**End Percy's Dream**_

I woke with my mom sitting next to my head, stroking my hair with a plate of blue chocolate-chip cookies in her hand. She moved her hand when she saw I was up, and tilted the plate towards me. "Want one?"

I nodded and took one. I hadn't had one of those in such a long time, but the taste still sent my tongue tingling. Those blue cookies were better than nectar.

I thought about my dream. Nico had read my letter. And he probably wasn't going to listen to my advice: _Don't look for me. _I still considered him a friend, so I decided that I'd find him somehow.

My thoughts changed. _The Olympians needed me? No. They didn't. Instead of ordering the quest to find me, they had ordered one to find the Romans._

The rest of my dream must've been what had happened at camp while I was gone. Annabeth had still seemed sad, but loved James. That was obvious when he kissed her. At first, I felt envy. Annabeth should have been mine. I should have been the one to comfort her and kiss her and make her feel better. But then I felt a bitter acceptance. If Annabeth thought that I had cheated on her, she was going to regret it when she saw the truth. I would probably forgive her, but our relationship would never be so close again. My eyes watered, but I forced the tears down. Annabeth hadn't believed me. She had betrayed me. She had cheated on me. I had to get over her.

I don't know how long I sat there with the cookie in my hand, staring blankly at the wall, thinking about the dream. But when the Minotaur crashed through the wall of my mom's apartment, I reacted solely on instinct. I dropped the cookie, jumped up, and uncapped Riptide.

_Watch out boss!_

"Thanks, Blackjack," I said.

The Minotaur had stumbled over the small coffee table in front of the couch, and had one of its horns impaled in the carpet. He was trying vainly to pull out his horn when I walked towards him. But before I could stab him with Riptide, Mrs. O'Leary jumped through the hole in the wall and clawed him to dust. He disintegrated, leaving only a large hole in the wall, a smashed coffee table, and a large gash in the carpet.

I was about to cap Riptide again, but a beautiful blond-haired girl leaped through the hole and the wall and tackled me. The catch: she had fangs. She bared them at me and lunged towards my neck. She must have been trying to surprise me, because without that element, I would've easily beaten her. I got a hand between us and shoved her away. Standing up, I raised Riptide and slashed at her. She just closed her eyes and dissolved.

Mrs. O'Leary snarled at the pile of golden dust on the ripped carpet, and then came over and sat next to me, thumping her tail on the ground. I reached up to pet her. Even though she was guarding the camp, she could come and go as she pleased, but preferred to stay wherever I was. I was glad that she had found me. It wouldn't be the same without her.

I've got to admit, I was confused. A Minotaur crashes through the wall, followed by an Empousa, and I kill them easily. _What was the point of this? _I was sure it was Gaia, but why would she send them to attack me?

"Percy?" a voice called. Paul stepped out of the bedroom and saw me. He must have returned when I was sleeping on the couch. And he had just been awakened by the large crash the Minotaur had made when it had charged through the wall.

"Paul?" I said. "Where's Mom?"

"Percy, I'm here." My mom stepped out of the bedroom next to Paul. "What happened?"

"Minotaur," I said. "It came and bashed the wall, then an Empousa jumped through the hole. I killed both of them."

"Ok. So, Percy, what do you want for breakfast?" my mom said, perfectly calm.

"Mom… I have to leave."

"So I'll make some of your favorite blue waffles and… _What?_ You have to _leave? Why?_ You just came…"

"Mom," I said, sadly, "the monsters came for me. If I stay, more will only come. It's my scent. I'm the son of Poseidon. I defeated Kronos, so I'm pretty much number one on all the monsters' kill list. Staying will only put you in danger. I can't do that… You're the only people I have left, after Annabeth…"

My mom didn't want to accept that as a good reason, but Paul convinced her. "Sally… I love Percy. He's a great stepson, and even if I love having him around, he's right. The monsters will keep coming. And I don't want you to die. I love you, Sally."

My mom looked sad. "But, Percy-"

"Mom, I have to," I said quickly.

She sighed. "Alright, but at least have some blue waffles before you go?"

I smiled. "Always."

**AN: So, Percy's not at camp. Annabeth is hopelessly confused and doesn't know it. Someone wants to attack the gods, who want Percy back. And Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack are with Percy! How did you like it? And, who wants Percabeth? If you don't tell who should be with Percy. Any other suggestions are welcome!**


	4. A Quest is Ordered, Another Camper Lost

**AN: Chapter 4, hope you like it! It's Wednesday! My favorite day of the week! By the way, I made Nico older, since it'd be weird otherwise. He's two years younger than Percy. So Percy is 17, and Nico is 15.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You all make my life so much brighter.**

**Semperfi1: Ok, from the vote down there, there probably isn't gonna be a Percabeth.**

**x Theseus: Thanks! And I don't think there's gonna be a Percabeth.**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: They will :)**

**The Goddamn Dark Knight: I am, glad you like it!**

**Rajput: Your vote has been submitted below.**

**PERSEUSJACKSONROCKS: I totally agree with your name! And, um… I don't want to spoil the story…**

**i don know: Who should the girl be?**

**AnimeXMangaAddict: I'll try.**

**Bacon Burg: :D I really appreciate you reviewing every chapter so far!**

**MysticLion: Ok, that will happen later in the story ;)**

**Le Diablo Blanc2: Wow, that's like 3 votes right there.**

**jackie-chan1230: Thanks, I hope you liked my story!**

**And there was another reviewer who said that Nico should be with Percy. Yeah, Nico's gonna go find Percy in this chapter.**

**So… we have:**

**No Percabeth: 8**

**Percy x Hestia: 2 (I'd prefer not to write about Percy and a goddess, sorry.)**

**Percy x Zoe: 1 (My favorite so far.)**

**Percy x Clarisse: 1**

**Percy x huntress: 1**

**Percy x someone who saves him from Gaia: 1**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY… Enough said.**

**Chapter 4: A Quest is Ordered and Another Valuable Camper Lost**

**Nico's POV (at Camp Half-Blood, around 6:00 AM)**

It was still dark outside, before dawn. I looked down at the backpack on my bunk, making sure that I had everything I needed. I was going to leave Camp Half-Blood to find my friend, Percy. It really wasn't such a big deal. I came and went as I pleased anyway, since I was the son of Hades and could basically shadow travel anywhere. But this time, I wasn't sure if I would come back anytime soon.

_**Flashback – The day Percy left camp**_

_**Nico's POV**_

_I shadow traveled back to camp after short chat with Silena and Beckendorf. I had left when they had stopped paying attention to me and started kissing each other. I had spent the entire day shadow traveling around, and was just about ready to take a nap._

_I appeared in the shadows somewhere near the Pegasus stables and almost crashed into Percy. He was in the shadows. I was surprised, because it was extremely unusual for him to want to be unseen. Luckily, I noticed him before he noticed me._

"_Percy!" I whispered loudly._

_He turned. "Oh. Hey, Nico. I… uh, I gotta go."_

_I gave him a confused look. He seemed nervous and a little guilty, like he had been caught trying to do something. And I'd never seen him like that before. I took a closer look at him and saw that his eyes were tinged with sadness. But I was too tired to talk about anything, so I just shadow traveled back to my cabin and collapsed on my bunk._

_When I woke up from my well-needed nap, dinner was already halfway over. I could have skipped it, but I went anyway._

_As I headed towards the dining pavilion, I saw Annabeth before me with another girl's arm slung across her shoulders. I watched as she led her over to the Aphrodite table. _Since when had Annabeth helped Aphrodite's kids? Didn't she hate them?

_I yawned and sat down, alone, at the Hades table. I don't think my nap was long enough. I was still tired._

_After sacrificing some of my food to the gods, I started eating and let my eyes wander around. Naturally, I glanced at the Poseidon table, ready to make a face at James and grin at Percy._

_Except Percy wasn't there. James sat alone at the Poseidon table with… a smirk on his face?_

_I was confused. I looked at the Athena table and saw Annabeth smiling across the tables at James and the Aphrodite kid she had helped. I saw her mouth a word to the Aphrodite camper. _Friends. _Apparently they were friends. She seemed familiar. _What was her name? Ashley? Abigail? _It didn't matter very much to me._

_Annabeth didn't look very good. I could tell that she had been crying recently. Her eyes were puffed up, and her nose was a little red. I didn't know what had happened to her, but I dimly wondered why Percy wasn't comforting her._

_And then my tired, worn-out brain connected the dots._

_Percy, with nervousness and sadness practically written all over his face. Annabeth, helping an Aphrodite camper and actually wanting to be friends. Annabeth, with her eyes puffed up, and her nose red. James, with his smirk. My eyes widened as I remembered what Percy had told me. Had he meant literally go? Had he left camp?_

_I stayed the last five minutes of dinner, lost in thought, then virtually ran out of the dining pavilion. I would miss the camp sing-along, but I didn't care. Normally, I wouldn't even be there for dinner._

_I arrived before cabin three panting and slightly out of breath. I told myself that Percy was in there. I told myself that he was probably sad because something happened between him and Annabeth, but he would be in there. I forced myself to stop stalling and knock on the door._

_No answer._

_I told myself that he was in there. My mind generated hundreds of reasons that he didn't open the door right away. I told myself he was asleep and didn't hear me. I told myself he was listening to super-loud music. And I forced myself to kick open the door._

_The cabin was empty._

_James's side of the cabin was full of his possessions, but the only things left on Percy's side were a few of his pictures and some clothes. The Minotaur horn hung on the wall._

_I told myself that he didn't leave camp and was near the beach. But when I got there, all I saw were the waves sliding smoothly across the sand._

_I thought of a million reasons why I couldn't find Percy, but none of them seemed to fit. I spent over twenty minutes looking frantically around camp while everyone else was singing around the campfire. I just couldn't believe that Percy was gone, and that no one cared enough to notice it. _Was I the only one?

_I didn't want to believe it, but when I stopped at the Pegasus stables, and saw that Blackjack was gone too, I had to._

_I went back to cabin three and stood over Percy's bunk._

"_Percy… Come back." I muttered. "You probably don't want to… Everyone at camp has forgotten you. Annabeth. She doesn't know… And there's James. He's odd. He doesn't feel like the sea… He fells… older, somehow, older than the sea… I can't explain… It's probably just me… Man, I'm talking to myself here."_

_I felt a tingle down the back of my neck, like someone was watching me. "Someone's watching…" It was too good to be true. "Percy?"_

_I turned around, half expecting to see Percy. But there was no one. "I could've sworn…"_

_I stared at Percy's bunk, lost in thought. I finally realized that the camp sing-along was halfway over, and that I should get out of his cabin. "The least I can do for him is move his stuff so that stupid brother of his doesn't take it…" I muttered._

_I started taking the leftover clothes and other photographs, sighing when I saw a picture of him and Annabeth hugging each other. By now, I'd figured out that Annabeth and Percy had probably broken up or something._

_I turned and walked away, but then stopped in my tracks. The Minotaur horn was still on the wall. I pulled It off, and a small piece of paper fell to the ground. I picked it up and read it._

_I was right. The front: _You will regret that you ever disbelieved me. I loved you, and I still do. But that love has been betrayed_, proved that he had left because of Annabeth. I realized that she must have somehow thought Percy had been cheating on her. Percy would never do that. And now Annabeth was probably with James._

_I flipped the note over and read the part addressed to me. When I read it, I knew I had to go after him. He could take care of himself, but he was my cousin and friend. Why shouldn't I go after him? This camp had nothing for me, either._

_I couldn't believe that he just told Thalia to forget about him. He might as well have asked a blind man to count the souls in the Underworld. Thalia would never forget. She'd try to go after him, but her duty to Artemis would be the only thing holding her back. Or she would somehow convince Artemis to let her go find Percy._

_I would go after Percy, but I would also make sure that Annabeth found the note._

_I moved all of Percy's things to a bag in my cabin, hiding it where no one would think of looking. The next part of my plan was slightly risky._

_I shadow traveled inside the Athena cabin. I hoped no one was there, but what were the chances? I hid the note under Annabeth's pillow. She'd find it. I grinned evilly, and then shadow traveled to my cabin to sleep. I would leave tomorrow before dawn._

_**End Flashback**_

I was ready, and I knew where to start. I stepped out of my cabin, walking up to Thalia's pine. I turned around and took one last look of what I could see in the camp. Then I shadow traveled away from Camp Half-Blood to find Percy.

I easily found his mother's apartment, since I'd been there last year. I spent the next hour waiting for Percy's mom and stepdad to wake up, regaining my strength, and using the shadows to mask my strong demigod scent from the monsters, something I'd learned from my father. I was literally wrapping shadows around me. It was really useful, and only drained a bit of my energy. It was nice to be able to walk around New York without being attacked by monsters.

When I couldn't wait any longer, and figured that they should be awake, I knocked on the door. They were up, because Ms. Jackson opened the door almost immediately with Mr. Blowfish – no, Mr. Blofis behind her. She stared at me for a while, and then her eyes widened.

"You're Nico, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said. "Have you seen Percy lately? He… uh, left camp."

"Yes, Percy came by and left yesterday," she said. Her eyes held sadness.

"He was here?" I blurted. "Why did he leave? Where'd he go? Did he tell you?"

She looked at me sadly. "He left because the Minotaur crashed through the wall." She invited me inside to see the wall. There was a huge hole. "We're planning to get it fixed today."

"No," I said. "I can help you with that." I summoned a dozen skeletons out of the ground and got them working.

Mrs. Jackson looked shocked while Mr. Blofis had a confused look on his face. "They're not normal mortals, are they?" he asked.

"No, they're skeletons," I said.

He swallowed nervously. "How?"

"I'm a son of Hades," I explained.

He nodded. "So, you're trying to find Percy?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Will you have to stay until the… skeletons… finish repairing the wall?" he asked.

"Yeah, can I?"

"Sure," said Ms. Jackson. "Do you want any blue chocolate chip cookies?"

I smiled. "Sure."

Ms. Jackson started towards her kitchen, but then stopped and turned back to me. "Is there any way for you to contact Percy? I don't know where he went…"

I frowned. "I could Iris Message him, but I didn't bring any drachmas. I'd have to shadow travel back to camp to get them, but then I'd have to take a nap. Shadow traveling that far takes a lot of energy. It would take at least a day to get back. I think it'd be easier if I just tried to find him. Sorry, Ms. Jackson."

She smiled at me. "It's ok."

"I'll just stay until your wall is fixed, then I'll go find Percy. But we might not come back here. I don't think his demigod scent was the only thing putting you in danger. I can understand why he left. He's the savior of Olympus. He's saved Olympus from falling, and Gaia is rising again. Without Percy, the gods with be at a disadvantage. So they're probably trying to so anything they can to get rid of him. He's already left the protection of camp."

**Hermes's POV (at Olympus, around 10:30 AM)**

"Hermes, you must go now to tell Chiron about the quests. He is in the Big House playing some sort of card game with Dionysus. But he must not announce it until the campfire," said my father, Zeus. We were the only gods in the throne room. It wasn't a council meeting.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going right now," I sighed, closing my eyes and teleporting myself to the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The downside to being the messenger of the gods was that I had to deliver messages to anyone and everyone the gods wanted to talk to.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Chiron in wheel-chair form playing cards with Dionysus.

"Hello, Lord Hermes," greeted Chiron.

Dionysus just looked at me and drank some more Coke. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Hey, Chiron," I said. "I've got to tell you something."

He nodded, and I explained to him that Gaia was rising, and that we almost desperately needed help. I ignored the shout of surprise and told him about and the gods' order for two quests, one to join the Greeks and the Romans, and one to find my favorite cousin, Percy. And then I told him that he couldn't tell anyone else until the campfire tonight.

**Percy's POV (around 9:00 PM)**

It was the day after I left my mom's apartment. There was nothing for me to do, nowhere for me to go.

Yesterday, I had walked around Central Park, my stomach full of my mom's best blue waffles. Monsters confronted me almost as soon as I sat down on one of the benches. I killed all of them easily with help from Blackjack and Mrs. O'Leary. I was very powerful, but unfortunately, with great powers come great responsibility, which was, in my case, my super-strong demigod scent.

Today was no different. Wherever I went, monsters would follow. I was starting to get tired of monsters attacking me, so I found a small, alleyway and lay down, falling asleep for the first time since I left my mom's apartment. I knew that Blackjack and Mrs. O'Leary would protect me if a monster attacked, and I'd probably hear it too.

As I fell asleep, my instincts told me that it was going to be dreamless this time. They were right, and I was grateful for that. The last thing I saw before fading into my dreamless sleep was the constellation of The Huntress shining in the dark, night sky.

**Annabeth's POV (at Camp Half-Blood, around 9:00PM)**

I was sitting on a log next to the campfire, leaning my head on James's shoulder. Audrey sat to my left, patting my back sympathetically. Normally, I wouldn't want sympathy, but Audrey was actually helping me. And James had been the only thing keeping me going yesterday. After a good night's sleep, I started to get over Percy, although I was a little teary-eyed in the morning. Ok, maybe a lot… I almost been unable to walk to the dining pavilion for breakfast, but James had come into the Athena cabin and supported me the entire way there. He was my backbone now. He was my other half.

"Campers!" The call came from the front. I looked up and saw Chiron, in his horse form. "The gods have ordered two quests."

"Why? Why do we need another quest?" asked Clarisse.

"Child," said Chiron, "James and Annabeth were right." I smiled at James. "Gaia is rising. The gods believe that we need our former savior of Olympus to help." I scoffed. "So, they want us to send three people on a quest to find him."

"Who?" called a son of Apollo.

"Perseus Jackson."

Surprise dawned on the campers as they realized that Percy wasn't at camp. Finally, one stepped up and asked the question everyone had been wondering.

"Where is he?"

"We do not know," replied Chiron sadly. "He left."

The campers were shocked, and I couldn't care less. Percy had cheated on me for Audrey, then abandoned her. They started peppering Chiron with questions.

"Why did he go?"

"Where did he go?"

"When?"

"How… I didn't notice him…"

"He left? But-"

"No! He didn't leave…"

"He's hiding-"

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Enough! Enough questions!" shouted Chiron. The flames got lower and turned a dark blue as the campers quieted down. They were confused. "The gods have given the order. A quest will be led. But that is just one of two quests."

Suddenly, Hermes appeared next to Chiron and handed him a crisp, white and gold envelope. "I suggest you read this before you continue talking about the quest."

Chiron took out the letter and read it.

"The gods have changed their decision," he announced. "Athena believes that the Romans will be much more help than Perseus Jackson." He frowned. "Instead, they have ordered a quest to ask for the Romans' help at Camp Jupiter."

The camp was silent. Then there was chaos.

"Romans? What do you mean Romans?"

"There are no Romans!"

"What Romans?"

"Calm down, everyone!" said Chiron. "The gods have separated the Greeks, us, and the Romans, because the last time we saw each other ignited a huge war!"

"What if we still don't get along? Last time, we had a war! How are we supposed to convince them to help us?" asked a camper.

"The gods think that if you have a common enemy, Gaia, they will help," explained Chiron.

"How can the gods think that the Romans are a better help than Percy?" asked an Aphrodite camper, who probably just thought Percy was hot.

"We need the Romans!" I stood and shouted. "They would be so much better than Percy!"

"Silence!" Chiron yelled. "The gods have requested that James lead the quest, as he is the only son of one of the Big Three who is still here at the camp."

"What?" said Clarisse, who, everyone knew, hated James. "What about Nico?"

Chiron sighed. "Nico is not here." Nico was probably shadow traveling around the Underworld. _Coward._ "James, you may choose two others to go with you."

James stood up, pulling me up as well and planting a short kiss on my lips. By now, the entire camp knew that we were dating. I had told everyone about how Percy cheated on me.

"I will take Annabeth," he said, smiling at me.

I nodded, grinning back.

"And the second camper?" asked Chiron.

James glanced around. He looked at Audrey.

"No," she said. "I have to stay. Besides, I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. I'll be almost useless on a quest."

I was sad that she wouldn't be on the quest with us, but I knew Audrey was right.

James nodded. He thought for a while. Then, he tilted his head and nodded like he was listening to someone. "Alright," he said. "I have chosen the third member on my quest. Clarisse, will you come?"

I was shocked. _Why would he choose Clarisse? _But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Clarisse may hate James with every fiber in her being, but she was a daughter of Ares, and an experienced fighter.

Clarisse was shocked too. But even though she hated James, it was a quest, so she would probably accept. "Yeah, sure, whatever," she grumbled, after a slight hesitation.

"The three have been chosen!" Chiron said, disappointment still clearly etched on his face. "James, Annabeth, and Clarisse will go seek the help of the Romans. James, you might as well go ask Rachel for the prophecy."

**AN: Whew! This chapter was pretty hard for me to write. Anyone else confused with all the different POVs, time skips, and flashbacks? :P Does adding the time help?**

**Well, there's obviously not going to be Percabeth. Keep voting, I personally like Percy x Zoe a lot. Percy x goddesses are harder to write and sometimes more confusing… Whoever it ends up being, it will NOT be a Percy x Aphrodite. That would be weird.**

**I would also like to apologize in advance to anyone who wished for a pairing that it does not end up to be. I might do a pairing that doesn't get the most votes. Again, I apologize in advance in case this happens. I don't know how long the voting will be. I'm thinking about getting the pairing set by the next chapter. If it's too close, or too hard to write, I'll make an OC. Either way, I apologize to anyone who doesn't like the pairing.**

**Thanks to everyone who faved, followed, reviewed, and viewed this story! Where would I be without my readers? :D**

**Oh my gods! I have to write a prophecy for James in the next chapter… Does anyone want an evil Annabeth?**


	5. One Prophecy, Two Prophecies!

**AN: Chapter 5!**

**Thanks for the reviews! :D**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: If it were in this chapter, it might be too early… Sorry.**

**Rajput: Thanks. And yeah, that's the plan!**

**Time-Destiny-Fate: Thanks. Nice name.**

**sillysweet999: Your vote has been cast.**

**Bacon Burg: :) Lol.**

**Na (Guest): Ok.**

**ManiacPyro666: Ok.**

**AnimeXMangaAddict: Thanks! :D If it is an OC, I really need help with names…**

**ruler 2000: Thanks! Here's the next chapter!**

**Number1Stefanfan: Ok.**

**Conover7283: :D Percy x Zoe is in the lead.**

**MysticLion: Thanks for your advice, but at this point, I don't think a Percabeth is very likely.**

**The Nutty Squirrel: I can imagine EVIL ANNIE BETH :)**

**x Theseus: Thanks, makes sense.**

**alem87: Yeah, I have some plans for that if it wins :)**

**StormofNight: Thank you.**

**Rocketeer101: Thanks.**

**PJO is the best: Ok, but either way, no Percabeth.**

**bobo5025: Sorry, but if I make James fail the quest and Percy and Nico really powerful, then it would be extremely easy to destroy the titans. And I think that plot is too overused. Thanks for the suggestion, though.**

**SnowTime: Ok, thanks for reviewing!**

**Also, I'm not replying to guests anymore (unless they post with a name), it's just too confusing.**

**And now we have:**

**No Percabeth: 8**

**Percy x Hestia: 2**

**Percy x Zoe: 5**

**Percy x Thalia: 1**

**Percy x Clarisse: 2**

**Percy x Bianca: 1 (I can't believe I didn't think of this one.)**

**Percy x OC: 2**

**Percy x huntress: 1**

**Percy x someone who saves him from Gaia: 1**

**Also:**

**Evil Annabeth: 4**

**Not Evil Annabeth: 3**

**Hmm… How about a compromise? Evil Annabeth who turns good in the end?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson… I own James, though! But I'd rather have Percy…**

**Chapter 5: One Prophecy, Two Prophecies!**

**James's POV**

When Audrey declined my invitation to join the quest that I was leading, I wasn't sure who the third camper should be.

I already had Annabeth. I guess she'd be useful for battle plans, but that daughter of the wisdom goddess wasn't as smart as I would expect from the head counselor of the Athena cabin. She had the love of the savior of Olympus, and she threw it all away when she saw him kissing Audrey.

The plan had worked. The sudden pain of betrayal had swept away any thoughts of logic. She didn't even blink an eye when I put an arm over her shoulders, and only hesitated slightly during that first kiss we shared. I'll admit, she wasn't as good a kisser as I thought, but I'd just have to deal with it. Soon, the gods would be no more, and I'd have a palace to rival my father's.

I heard a voice in my head, my father. _Son, take the daughter of Ares. Clarisse. She has the experience. She will keep you safe._

_I am perfectly capable of defending myself, Father. Remember my training, _I thought back.

_Yes, but you cannot show that training. That way, you will be able to face the camp with the element of surprise at you fingertips._

I tilted my head and nodded. _Yes, Father, you are right as always._

_Yes, as you will soon be too. This will be the last time I can speak to you. Good luck, my son._

_Thank you, Father._

Then I looked around at the campers, as if considering which person to pick. "Alright," I said, looking at Chiron. "I have chosen the third member on my quest." I looked at Clarisse. "Clarisse, will you come?"

Clarisse was shocked. She hesitated slightly, then grumbled," Yeah, sure, whatever."

I wasn't sure how useful she would be, but my father was always right. She'd be useful somehow.

Glancing to my left, I could see that Annabeth was also shocked. Her face scrunched up a bit, and I could almost see the gears winding in her head. _Those Athena kids… _Then her face cleared a little, and I could tell that she at least thought she understood why I chose Clarisse.

"The three have been chosen!" said Chiron. "James, Annabeth, and Clarisse will go seek the help of the Romans. James, you might as well go ask Rachel for the prophecy."

With that said, the campers all headed towards the cabins. Soon, only Annabeth, Clarisse, Chiron, and I were standing by the campfire.

"You guys can go," I said, smiling at Annabeth. "I'll get the prophecy and tell you tomorrow."

They nodded, and Annabeth smiled back at me. Annabeth and Clarisse started towards the cabins, while Chiron cantered off to the Big House. I headed towards the cave of the Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

When I got there, the Oracle was still awake and welcomed me in before I could knock.

Before I could say a word, she asked, "So… Are you going on a quest? You need a prophecy… right?"

"Uh… yeah," I said. "So, how do I get it?"

"Well, you-" All of the sudden, she doubled over. Then she straightened up just as fast, her eyes glowed a bright green, and she opened her mouth to speak. When she did, it sounded like there was more than one person speaking:

"_You shall lead two others, go west to unite,_

_Protection shall follow, but only at night,_

_Arrival at camp, to be put to death,_

_A hero's decision, to save your last breath."_

That was obviously the prophecy. The Oracle swayed on her feet and almost fell. I caught her after deciding that letting her fall wouldn't do me any benefits.

"Was it good?" she mumbled.

"Yeah…" I said, lost in thought. _Did it mean that I was going to die? _"What does it mean?"

"I-" She suddenly doubled over again, and green mist poured from her mouth while her eyes flashed green for a second time.

An image formed in the mist. I saw a boy with black hair standing with his back to me. He was chained to the wall with shackles that gleamed gold and appeared to be in a cell.

"What-" I started to say but was cut off by the Oracle's voice. I turned towards her.

She recited another prophecy:

"_A camper is lost who shall never return,_

_To find the hero, the camp must learn,_

_Son of the titan's secret revealed,_

_The bond that is broken can never be healed,_

_Daughter of wisdom must choose her own path,_

_Either shall teach her to fear the sea's wrath,_

_In the midst of betrayal love conquers all,_

_And help will be needed or Olympus shall fall."_

I stared at her, wide-eyed. The green mist dissipated, and this time, she collapsed. I was too shocked to catch her. _Two prophecies?_

The Oracle blinked her eyes a couple times, panting on the ground. "Whew, that prophecy took a lot out of me. Was it a good one?" she asked.

"Yeah, kind of. There were…" I drifted off, staring into the distance. The first one was obviously my quest. But the second one?

_Was that the next Great Prophecy?_

My thoughts were interrupted by the Oracle. "Do you know what to do now?"

"Huh? Uh… Yeah. But you gave me..." I was about to say _more than one prophecy _when she interrupted me again.

"Tell me…" she murmured, obviously still exhausted.

"Tell you what?" I asked.

"The prophecy. Tell me the prophecy…" she murmured, sitting up now.

I suddenly realized that she didn't know that she gave me two prophecies. She probably thought that she had given me a powerful one and just passed out. I smiled internally. No one would know about the second prophecy.

I recited the prophecy back to her. Her eyes widened a bit when she heard the last two lines.

"You're not going to die, are you?"

"Hopefully not," I said. "Some hero could _save my last breath_." I wondered who it was.

The Oracle slowly got up and sat on her couch. "Good luck," she said.

I walked out of the cave, still pondering the prophecies.

**Annabeth's POV**

"You guys can go," said James. "I'll get the prophecy and tell you tomorrow."

He smiled at me. I really did love him. I could still feel love for Percy, as dull as it is after he cheated on me. I smiled back at him, and walked back to the cabins with a grin on my face and love in my heart.

The cabin lights were still on, my siblings waiting for me. I sat down on my bunk, said," Lights out," and lay back on my pillow. Soon the cabin was filled with the sound of soft breathing.

I don't know how long I lay there, just thinking, but as I turned my head to see an owl staring at me through the window, I heard the light crinkle of paper. At first I was confused, but when I turned my head back the other way, I heard the small noise again. I reached under my pillow and my fingers found the rough edges of a small piece of paper.

I pulled a note out from under my pillow.

The light was too dim on my bunk to read it, so I scooted closer to the window, reading the words in the moonlight. My breath caught in my throat as I read the first lines. _You will regret that you ever disbelieved me. I loved you, and I still do. But that love has been betrayed._

It was from Percy. Even though it wasn't signed, I knew it. Reading the note brought tears into my eyes. Even after the break-up and loving James, I still missed Percy. I missed everything about him. I missed his bright, sea-green eyes gleaming at me, shadowed by his jet-black hair. I missed his strong arms around me, with the feeling of protection. I missed the salty ocean smell that always accompanied him wherever he went. I missed the crooked smile he would give me after calling me his _Wise Girl._ And most of all, I missed the feeling of his lips against mine. Memories of Percy sprang into my mind.

_**Flashback – Percy's 17**__**th**__** birthday, last week**_

_**Annabeth's POV**_

_It was Percy's 17__th__ birthday. As a gift, the gods had magically extended the inside of Ms. Jackson's apartment so more people could fit. I had the day off from working as the Official Architect of Olympus, so I was in the kitchen with Tyson and Ms. Jackson trying to bake a cake. Percy and his stepdad, Mr. Blofis, were in the living room setting up balloons, streamers, and the normal birthday party stuff._

_Everyone at camp was invited, but most couldn't make it, so after a couple hours at Ms. Jackson's apartment, Percy, Tyson and I would go back to Camp Half-Blood. The gods, of course, were invited as well, but only two came. They figured that the entire Olympian council would attract too many monsters to have a peaceful party._

_By the time Percy and his stepdad were done with the living room, we were done with the cake. This time, with Ms. Jackson's help, Tyson and I baked a one that looked less like a chocolate brick and more like a regular cake. As usual, it was blue._

_The birthday party was as normal as a demigod could have wished for. No monsters trying to kill you. No terrible prophecies hinting of your death. And no threats from immortal enemies._

_We had just started a game of Monopoly when Nico shadow traveled out of the shadow of the sofa too fast and banged his head on the wall. We all burst out laughing as Nico sat up and said, "Ow."_

_We restarted the game with Nico. Soon, Tyson and I were winning, and Nico and Percy were almost bankrupt._

_I looked towards the window, and saw an owl sitting in the flowerbox, looking at me with pride. Then it turned its head and regarded Percy with… disapproval? It shook its head once and flew away. I sighed._

"_Your turn," Percy said to me. He was losing badly._

_I smirked at him and picked up the dice. When I was just about to roll them, there was a sudden clap of thunder and the living room flashed white as lightning struck the balcony._

_I squeezed my eyes shut immediately, thinking it was a god who had just appeared in his true form. Warily, I peeked at the balcony window out of the corner of my eye. What I saw next made me burst out laughing again. Percy, Nico, and Tyson, who also had their eyes closed, opened them and looked towards the balcony too. Soon, we were all laughing and rolling around on the ground._

_Thalia was standing on the balcony, trying in vain to open the locked glass balcony door. She smirked at us through the glass, but then her expression turned to frustration as she realized the door was locked. She banged her fist on the thick glass, which only made us laugh louder._

_I finally stopped laughing, wiped tears of joy from my eyes, and told the boys to keep playing Monopoly. As we continued the game, occasionally, one of us would snort at the sight of Thalia stranded on the balcony._

_But not even five minutes had gone by when Thalia pulled out her electric spear and drew it back like she was going to thrust it into the door. Percy's eyes widened and he immediately darted to the door, unlocked it, and let Thalia in. Thalia gave him a small electric shock in thanks._

"_Why didn't you just lightning travel into the apartment?" I asked her._

"_Because I didn't want lightning to hit it," she replied with a playful glare._

_An angry daughter of Zeus is not something you want at a peaceful son of Poseidon's birthday party. She chased us around the newly expanded apartment, and since I couldn't do anything powerful enough to stop her, and Tyson just sat there eating peanut butter, the remainder of Percy's apartment party was a mock Big Three children battle. A large hole had magically appeared in the ceiling, so Thalia could summon lightning without hitting the apartment at the same time, and the floor had turned into dirt, so Nico could summon skeletons easier._

"_You want some thunder, Kelp Head?" screamed Thalia, readying her spear._

"_Bring it on, Pinecone Face!" yelled Percy, solidifying the water vapor in front of him to make a shield._

_As lightning stuck Thalia's spear, a skeleton rose out of the ground behind her and tackled her. Lightning crackled on the head of Thalia's spear, and she aimed it at Nico after blowing the skeleton to pieces._

"_You want some too, Death Boy?" snarled Thalia, smirking._

"_Do your worst, all-powerful lieutenant of Artemis," grinned Nico._

_Lightning flew through the air straight at Nico. A skeleton rose out of the ground to take the hit, but the lightning was too powerful, and just blasted right through. At the last second, water solidified into a giant shield and absorbed the lightning. Behind it, Percy walked up to Nico and stuck his hand out to him._

"_Truce?" he asked._

"_Truce," Nico said._

_They both turned to face the daughter of Zeus, whose face was paling slightly._

_I smiled as I watched them._

_Eventually, Poseidon blew through the open window in the form of an ocean breeze, solidifying suddenly next to me. He tossed me what looked like a mortal video camera, watched the fight for a while, and then drifted out the window again._

_I caught the rest of the fight on film._

_After fighting and eating cake, which was pretty good, all five of us headed back to camp. As soon as we got to the lake, Thalia shoved me up against Percy and casually walked away with Nico, who kept sneaking backwards glances._

_We stood there, facing each other, until I got the impulse to tackle him. We both fell into the lake, and Percy formed a bubble around us again._

"_So this is kind of an annual birthday present now, right?" Percy asked, giving me his crooked smile._

"_Yep," I said, smiling._

_I wrapped my arms around me, and he kissed me passionately._

_After a minute of kissing, Percy broke off, glared at the fish around our bubble, and said, "Shut up!"_

_I laughed. It was just like him, my Seaweed Brain. "What did they say?"_

_He glanced at me, his face rapidly turning a deep shade of red. "Nothing…" he muttered._

_He looked at the fish. They looked back at him with an expression that could be described as innocent. "Scram!" he told them, and they slowly swam away._

_He turned back to me, face still red. I laughed and smirked at him, then kissed him again._

_**End Flashback**_

I tried to push the thought of Percy out of my head. _I love James. I don't love Percy. I love James_, I kept repeating to myself. But that little bundle of love for Percy in my heart refused to leave.

My thoughts turned to the note. _How long had it been there? _Percy had left two days ago. I was sure that I hadn't noticed it yesterday, but I had still been shaking off the events of the day before. Percy had probably put his note under my pillow, and then left. The only time he could have done that was during dinner the day he left. And there was a big chance I had missed the paper last night.

As I twirled the paper between my fingers, I noticed writing on the other side. _Camp Half-Blood has been my home for five years. I'll always miss this place. Chiron, you'll always be a teacher to me. To Nico: You'll always be a friend and one of my favorite cousins. Don't come after me. I can take care of myself. To Thalia, when she comes with the Hunters of Artemis: You'll always be a favorite cousin. I know you'll miss me, but just forget about me. It's best that way._

I found myself agreeing with his words. He could take care of himself, and it was best for him to be forgotten.

I walked back to my bunk, slipped the note under my pillow again, and went to sleep.

**Nico's POV**

I never thought it could take so long for a dozen skeletons to finish repairing a wall. I had already eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Percy's mom and stepdad, and the skeletons were only just finishing. At the rate they were going, it would take another hour before Ms. Jackson's wall looked the same as it did before the Minotaur destroyed it.

"Wake me up in an hour please, Ms. Jackson," I said before crashing on the couch.

**AN: Whew! This chapter was hard… Especially the prophecy… Thanks to MysticLion for helping me on it! Check out her story, it's pretty good.**


	6. A Camper is Found

**AN: Chapter 6 already! Wow! :D**

**Thank you, my faithful readers! You keep me writing!**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: Thanks. I think it will, I have it planned out… kind of.**

**MysticLion: Yeah, sorry about entire Annabeth scene. I wanted to do something where Percy's happy.**

**SnowTime: Ok, thanks again for reviewing.**

**NA (guest): Thanks! It took me almost three days.**

**conover7283: Yeah, I like Percy x Bianca too.**

**x Theseus: Thanks for the input.**

**UltimateHades: Thank you…**

**1973: Thank you.**

**razor200972: Uh…**

**Bacon Burg: Thanks, it took me a while.**

**The vote now is:**

**No Percabeth: 8**

**Percy x Hestia: 2**

**Percy x Zoe: 4 (Still in the lead.)**

**Percy x Thalia: 1**

**Percy x Clarisse: 2**

**Percy x Bianca: 2 (Yay, I like this pairing.)**

**Percy x OC: 2**

**Percy x huntress: 1**

**Percy x someone who saves him from Gaia: 1**

**As for Annabeth:**

**Evil Annabeth: 4**

**Not Evil Annabeth: 3**

**Disclaimer: Gah… Another disclaimer… Let's just get it over with… I don't own Percy. There! Done.**

**Chapter 6: A Camper is Found**

**Mystery Person's POV (10:00 PM)**

I paced back and forth on the dirt, waiting.

Finally, a figure rose out of the ground. I stopped my pacing immediately.

"Mother!" I said. "Have you succeeded in turning more of the demigods?"

The figure held out her palm. It in laid three bracelets this time. "We have only three spies at the camp. You must find and recruit more demigods if our plan is to work," she said.

"I shall try, but you know how hard it is to find demigods these days, after the gods have sworn to claim their children before they turn thirteen. The ones we find are hardly capable of fighting. We have only ten. Eight of them have not even reached double digits yet. The other two are eleven."

My mother nodded. "Demigods will be harder to find. The ones we have found must not leave our side. Have you started teaching them about Greek Mythology yet?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Start now," said my mother. "Tell them about the gods, and how they ignored their children, and destroyed their parents. Let them know the truth."

"Yes, Mother," I said. "I shall start tomorrow morning."

"Good." She nodded to herself. "Now to more pressing matters. The boy?"

I pressed my lips together. She wasn't going to like this. "He is still in New York."

She growled, and the dirt churned beneath my feet. I lost my balance. The dirt did nothing to soften my fall. My mother walked closer and towered over me.

"The boy cannot be in New York," she said. "Olympus is in New York. When we attack, he cannot be close enough to defend it again. You must either kill him or drive him away. But he cannot be in New York."

"Of course, Mother," I said.

"Good. You cannot be too hasty. Be patient. Over time, our strength will only increase."

With that, she melted into the earth again. I sighed.

**Nico's POV**

Someone tapped my shoulder.

"Nico, the wall's done," a voice said.

I slowly opened my eyes, still sleepy, and yawned. The face of Ms. Jackson filled my vision. My mind came back to the present. I had dreamed of Bianca. I still missed her.

"The wall's done," Ms. Jackson repeated.

"Ok," I said. I looked around and saw a dozen skeletons leaning against a wall. "Uh, you have served me well. You can leave now."

One of the skeletons nodded at me, and then they all walked out of the door and dissolved back into the dirt. Ms. Jackson stared at the spot they used to be. Mr. Blofis had a confused look on his face.

"I should be going," I said.

Ms. Jackson nodded. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I said. "I'll go find Percy."

"Thank you." She smiled at me.

"No problem. Percy's my friend. I have a plan." With that, I dove into the nearest shadow.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the Underworld. I set my plan in action by sitting down on the hard, black rock and waiting.

Eventually, my pet hellhound, Raven, sensed my presence in the Underworld, and bounded over to me from wherever she was. Raven meant as much to me as Bianca. I would never doubt her for a second.

Raven leaped on top of me, and licked my face. Unfortunately, I wasn't a son of Poseidon, so the hellhound spit dripped all over my face.

"Hey, Raven." I grinned, wiping her saliva off my face.

_Hey, chief._

The grin melted off my face. "How many times have I told you not to call me chief?"

_Uh… A lot, chief._

I sighed. "You're impossible."

I swore I saw her smile.

Raven and Mrs. O'Leary were basically best friends, even if Percy didn't know Raven. They played with each other all the time, and even Cerberus would join sometimes. They had some sort of connection between them so that they always knew where the other was. I still didn't understand how it worked. But, I figured that Mrs. O'Leary would be with Percy, since I hadn't seen her around camp, and Raven could easily find her.

"Come on, Raven," I told her. "I've got a friend who ran away from camp. His name is Percy. Mrs. O'Leary is probably with him. Can you find her for me?"

_Sure thing, chief. I'll need a nap later though._

I rolled my eyes and jumped onto her back. Raven ran into the nearest shadow. We came out of an identical shadow in a small alleyway in New York.

There was a fight going on.

A small figure, who was obviously Percy, was being attacked by so many monsters it looked like a small army. I could just make out what looked like a huge, truck-sized shadow pouncing on the other monsters. Mrs. O'Leary. And flying low in the sky, using his hooves to kick the enemy, was a Pegasus who could only be Blackjack.

Percy still had the Curse of Achilles, and none of the monsters had been lucky enough to find his Achilles Heal. But as I got closer, I could tell that he was having trouble. His swings were slow and sluggish. The monsters could dodge them almost easily. The Curse of Achilles was the only thing keeping him alive. He probably hadn't slept in days.

The monsters hadn't noticed me yet. The shadows were still around me, covering my demigod scent. But Percy needed help, even with Blackjack and Mrs. O'Leary. I uncovered my demigod scent, unsheathed my sword, and dove into battle. Raven, as tired as she was, followed me.

Immediately, the monsters turned their attention to me and attacked. Behind them, Percy dropped to the ground. Blackjack landed next to him. Mrs. O'Leary, recognizing Raven and I, jumped back into the fight.

I fought long enough for Percy to regain enough strength to help me in the battle. We stood together, back to back, in the middle of the monsters. Mrs. O'Leary stood in front of Raven, who was so exhausted she had finally fallen asleep, clawing and biting at any monsters that dared to close in on the sleeping hellhound. Blackjack was attacking from the sky again.

With Percy's help, in a matter of minutes, the monsters were all disintegrated. My energy level had depleted by almost half, but Percy was worse off. He was so tired he was swaying on his feet.

"Perce, you all right?" I asked.

He grinned at me sleepily. "Yeah, Death Boy, I'm perfectly fine, after being woken up from my first nap in two days by an attacking monster army." His expression turned serious. "Why'd you come, Nico?"

"I found your letter," I said.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, I know. I had a dream." He paused. "But why leave camp? You're welcome there."

"There isn't anything left for me," I explained. "Being a son of Hades is hard. My father hates me. The only reason he agreed to teach me was because Poseidon and Zeus were doing it too, and he didn't want to have the weakest kid. Everyone at camp is basically afraid of me. The only thing I ever go there for is capture the flag. And since you left, there's only James. He's not even a challenge. What do you want me to do? Go to the Underworld? I can't spend my life around the dead. I came to find you, Perce, and you'd better be fine with it, because I'm staying with you."

Percy grinned at me. "Ok," he said. "I'm fine with that. But can I take a nap first, before we do anything else?"

I smiled. "Sure. I'll keep watch."

**Annabeth's POV (8:00 AM)**

I woke up, refreshed, but still thinking about Percy's note. I reached under my pillow, fighting back tears, and felt the edges of the note. _Percy…_

A voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Annabeth?"

I blinked and looked around. Malcolm was standing in the doorway of our cabin. I forced a smile. "Yeah?"

"Chiron wants you in the Big House. You have a quest with James and Clarisse. They're all there, waiting for you."

This time, my grin was real. "Thanks, Malcolm."

He smiled at me. "Don't die."

"I won't. I've got James," I said.

For some reason, his smile dulled. "And Clarisse," he added bluntly.

"And Clarisse," I repeated, even though I thought James would be more helpful. "Tell Chiron I'm coming."

Malcolm nodded, and ran back outside. I quickly got dressed and followed him.

Clarisse, James, and Chiron were waiting for me when I got to the Big House. Chiron was in wheel-chair form. Clarisse had a bored look on her face and was twirling a dagger around her fingers. James was staring at a glass of water in front of him. His face was paler than usual. He noticed me, and grinned. I smiled back.

Chiron looked up. "Good morning, Annabeth. Good night's sleep?"

I nodded.

"Well, since we are all here, let's hear the prophecy, James," he said.

James nodded and recited the prophecy:

"_You shall lead two others, go west to unite,_

_Protection shall follow, but only at night,_

_Arrival at camp, to be put to death,_

_A hero's decision, to save your last breath."_

Clarisse was the first person to break the silence. "Well, it's not that bad." She was still twirling the dagger around her finger.

"It's not that bad?" I asked incredulously. "_Arrival at camp, to be put to death._ James could _die._"

"_A hero's decision, to save your last breath,_" she countered. "Sounds like some hero is going to come and save him. Your boyfriend's fine." She snorted and muttered something about Percy. "Come on, let's just go."

"Yes," Chiron agreed. "You should get going on your quest. Argus is waiting on the top of Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's pine tree. He will give you a ride to the nearest bus stop, where you will be on your own."

**Third Person POV (Olympus)**

There were two more flashes of light, and then Zeus stood up. The council of Olympus had been assembled.

"All right, Apollo," said Zeus. "Tell us why you requested this council meeting so urgently."

Apollo nodded, sat up straighter in his throne, and swallowed. "The next Great Prophecy has been delivered."

Zeus sighed and sat back down. "Why is that so urgent that the council must meet immediately? The last Great Prophecy took nearly 70 years to complete. It won't be happening anytime soon. Why would you-?"

"Father," Apollo interrupted. "I know the prophecy. I think the first line has been fulfilled."

The throne room fell silent. Not a single argument broke out.

The only sound heard was Ares, picking at his fingernails with a dagger. But when the information sank into his head, he stopped. Dionysus, who had been slouching on his throne, a glass of wine clutched in his hand, turned pale and immediately gave Apollo his full attention. Athena looked lost in thought, but then again, she always did. Poseidon and Hades glanced at each other, and let worried looks onto their faces. Was one of their children going to be the Child of the Great Prophecy?

Zeus fingered his Master Bolt. A hint of fear crept into his eyes. Was there going to be a third Titan war, so soon after the second Titan war?

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Apollo nodded silently.

"How did you know about the prophecy?"

"I'm the god of prophecies. My Oracle doesn't tell one without my noticing, especially not one as powerful as a Great Prophecy."

The throne room was silent again. And then Athena asked the one question that was on everyone's mind.

"What was the prophecy?"

Apollo opened his mouth. But instead of words, green mist poured out, and Apollo's eyes glowed faintly green. The Olympians backed up on their thrones, not knowing what had happened to Apollo. When he spoke, his voice was deeper and layered with at least three other voices.

"_A camper is lost who shall never return,_

_To find the hero, the camp must learn,_

_Son of the titan's secret revealed,_

_The bond that is broken can never be healed,_

_Daughter of wisdom must choose her own path,_

_Either shall teach her to fear the sea's wrath,_

_In the midst of betrayal love conquers all,_

_And help will be needed or Olympus shall fall."_

With that, Apollo collapsed on his throne.

As the gods glanced at each other, Apollo sat up again and said, "The prophecy was: A camper is lost-"

"We already heard the prophecy," snapped Athena. "You do not need to repeat it again."

Apollo looked confused. "You heard the prophecy already? I don't remember telling you. You just asked me for it, I tried to give it to you, and then you told me to stop."

"The Oracle spoke out of you," said Athena. "Has that not happened to you before?"

"I don't think so…" said Apollo.

"Some sort of sign…" muttered Athena, her mind obviously searching for explanations.

"What does the prophecy mean?" Zeus asked his daughter, breaking the short silence.

"I don't know for sure," muttered Athena. "I'll need some time to figure it all out, but I can guess some of it."

"Yeah," interrupted Apollo, ignoring Athena's glare of annoyance. "_A camper is lost who shall never return. _That has to be Percy, right?"

The gods and goddesses all nodded, except Athena. "Yes," she said. "That is a possibility. But prophecies are almost never clear. We thought Percy would be the hero who dies in the last Great Prophecy." She looked at Poseidon. "It was Luke."

"No, it was definitely Percy," said Apollo. "Do you even know why he left?"

"Yes." Athena sighed. "My daughter found the son of Barnacle Beard here cheating on her, and she left him. He was heartbroken, even though he cheated on her, so he left."

"That's not what really happened. I really thought you'd be smarter than that, Athena," said Apollo. "Another camper kissed Percy against his will. Annabeth saw and, for once, didn't use her brain."

A huge grin broke out on Hermes's face. "I knew he wouldn't do that!"

Meanwhile, Athena's face broke out in a scowl. "You can't prove that! You made that up! A daughter of mine would never lie!"

"I'm the god of truth. I would know." Athena opened her mouth, but Apollo talked right over her. "You want proof? I'll show you!" He looked at Hephaestus. "Can you get us a TV?"

Hephaestus nodded. "Sure." He snapped his fingers and a large, ten-foot wide flat-screen TV rose out of the floor.

Apollo snapped his fingers almost lazily, and the Olympians watched as Percy headed out of the dining pavilion. He turned around and said something to someone behind him. The video zoomed out enough to see the camper he was talking to.

The gods and goddesses watched with dread as she suddenly ran forwards and smashed her lips against his. They watched as the Savior of Olympus vainly tried to separate himself from her. As they realized how wrong they were about their hero, the video zoomed out more to reveal a blond-haired girl with stormy grey eyes watching the scene in front of her and sobbing. And as another black-haired, green-eyed boy moved to comfort her, she turned and ran away.

"Annabeth… No… Why didn't you try to see what was really happening?" Athena whispered, almost whimpering.

The video faded to black, and the words "_Ten minutes later…"_ came into view. After a couple of seconds, the words blurred, and the video cleared. Now the Olympians saw Percy sitting on the beach, watching Poseidon talk with Athena. They heard the entire conversation, and watched as Percy slashed Riptide through the Iris Message.

Poseidon's hands clutched the arms of his throne, eyes wide with realization. A tear made its way down his face. He couldn't remember how he ever thought James were special. "I'm sorry, Percy…"

Finally, the scene changed to show Percy flying away from camp on the back of a black Pegasus.

Poseidon and Athena both slumped down on their thrones. Apollo smirked, and Hermes's grin grew wider. It wasn't every day the goddess of wisdom was outsmarted.

"I should go down to the camp," said Apollo. "_To find the hero, the camp must learn. _They have to know the truth, including _Annabeth_." He spat the name out.

"No," said Athena. Her voice had gotten stronger. "Annabeth is on her quest. If you tell her, she will get too distracted."

"Fine," said Apollo. "Well, the third and fourth lines are harder to understand. The fifth and sixth are probably about Percy and Annabeth. The line after that-"

"_In the midst of betrayal love conquers all!_" squealed Aphrodite.

"Yes," said Athena. "That is harder to comprehend. The love could be anyone's. But it is the last line that worries me most. _And help will be needed or Olympus shall fall._ We are going to need help. That much is obvious. Could it be the camps?"

"Let's give the prophecy to the camp," said Zeus. "Tell Chiron. Your children can work on finding out what it means, Athena."

"I will continue to ponder the Great Prophecy, as will my children, Father," Athena said. "I will notify you when we have something."

Zeus nodded, smiling at Athena. "I know you will figure it out." He turned to Hermes. "Hermes, go down to Camp Half-Blood and tell them about the Great Prophecy."

Hermes pouted. "Can't Dionysus do it? He's the camp director."

Zeus nodded again. "Dionysus, get to Camp Half-Blood and tell them the prophecy."

"Fine," Dionysus grumbled. He snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving behind only the scent of grapes.

"Council dismissed."

**AN: Thanks for reading, guys! Keep voting, it's not over yet! I'm pretty sure the pairing for Percy is down to Zoe, Hestia (which I'm probably not going to do, sorry), Clarisse, Bianca, and an OC. And the evil Annabeth one can be compromised. (Should I make a poll for this on my profile?)**

**Sorry for not updating as fast as usual. There's been a lot of stuff happening, and I can't find time every day to write. And I've been reading the Mark of Athena. It's really good. If you haven't read it, go read it. Eh, now you're listening to all my excuses… Never mind. I promise to try to update faster.**

**And well? Like this chapter? :D**


	7. The Hunters Arrive

**AN: Chapter 7! Sorry for not updating faster… I'll spare you my excuses.**

**Thanks so much for reviewing!**

**dragonfinder533: Ok.**

**x Theseus: Thanks! I like Percy with Zoe too. :D**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: I tried. I didn't seem to work. But I'll keep it up anyway.**

**werewolves1999: Thanks, and yeah, that's planned.**

**Bacon Powder: How about a mixture of good and evil Annabeth?**

**Mythology212: Thanks. Gaea would tell you to be patient. ;) I'll try to update faster.**

**xXChild-of-DemonXx: Thanks for the long review. :D**

**Bacon Powder: Yeah, I'm trying to work that out.**

**Sarcastickay: I don't know. It's supposed to be on my profile. And it's spelled "sarcastically."**

**n99chang: Yay! One for Bianca! :D**

**zsouthwell: Yeah, everyone seems to like Zoe.**

**followingmydreams123: Thanks.**

**BlizzardBlader: Thank you!**

**werewolves1999: Well, whoever Percy's with next is not going to cheat on him.**

** : Ok.**

**Mythology212: Evil Annabeth… :D**

**1973: Thank you.**

**1973 (again): Is the "wtf" for the poll? Is it not there? I'm still trying to fix that.**

**SaviorOfOlympus: Thanks. The main reason I ask what people want out of my story is that I can think of so many different ways this story can turn out. So, I'm going with the way you guys like the most. :D**

**Naomi (Guest): Sure. ;)**

**just2skilled: Wow, lots of ideas there.**

**And thanks to "Guest."**

**The vote so far:**

**Percy x Hestia: 3**

**Percy x Zoe: 9**

**Percy x Thalia: 2**

**Percy x Clarisse: 3**

**Percy x Bianca: 3**

**Percy x OC: 2**

**As for Annabeth, I think it will be some sort of mixture of good and evil. Any suggestions?**

**But if you guys want pure good or pure evil, it'd be:**

**Evil Annabeth: 7**

**Not Evil (Good) Annabeth: 7**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Percy Jackson, and I never will.**

**Chapter 7: The Hunters Arrive**

**Mystery Person's POV**

This was harder than I expected. I should have assigned someone else to tutor these demigods. I could have spent the day elaborating the battle plan or wakening the older sea monsters. But seeing how I'm the only one in this monster camp who looks human, I have to be the one teaching myths to children.

There are ten demigods. Two are eleven, a boy and a girl. Three are nine, two boys and a girl. Two are eight, both girls. Two are seven, both boys. And the last little girl is six.

I had a strict schedule with them. First, tell them who they really were. Second, teach them Greek mythology and the truth about the gods. Third, tell them about the war. And finally, start training them. Hopefully I would find out their godly parent somewhere between the steps. Mother warned me not to get too attached. _Why would I?_

I wasn't off to a good start. I hadn't realized that the demigods had all been shoved inside a cell as soon as they were brought here. I led them to a room that was almost like a classroom, complete with desks, chairs, and a whiteboard. Why that would be here in a monster camp, I don't know.

As I talked, I could tell that they were afraid. They kept staring at me. I never would have thought that would ever be annoying, but at the moment, all I wanted to do was pull out my sword and kill all of them. Unfortunately, they were essential for the war.

When I told them they were demigods, their frightened expressions didn't change. The eleven-year-old girl was hugging the six-year-old on her lap. The eleven-year-old boy obviously thought I was crazy, but tried not to show it.

I was about to storm out of the room when the dirt wrapped around my legs and prevented me from moving.

I heard my mother's voice in my head. _Patience. You must be patient._

"Patient?" I yelled. "How am I supposed to be patient? I have battle plans to make, and these demigods are preventing me from doing it!"

_Enough!_ There was a pause. I realized that I had spoken out loud, and that the demigods had heard me. _You may leave and attend to your… battle plans. I will teach the demigods… for now. But they must see that we are better than the gods. You will apologize to them. Later, if you do not feel your apology will be accepted now._

I nodded, and as the dirt retreated back into the ground, the door swung open. A middle-aged woman with soft brown hair, chocolate-colored eyes, and a kind expression stepped inside the room. It was my mother. She completely ignored me and headed towards the demigods.

"Good morning, children!" she exclaimed. When they didn't say anything back, she continued. "You're perfectly safe. We brought you here to help you."

The eleven-year-old boy interrupted her. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

She smiled at him. "Because we'll protect you. You all had at least one parent abandon you, right?" She received hesitant nods. "That one parent is either a god or a goddess. I will teach you about them, and the situation between them and me."

"What situation?" the eleven-year-old boy asked.

She just smiled again. "In time, you shall know."

The boy looked skeptical at first, but seemed more convinced when she said, "I swear on my life, I'll tell you."

"Okay…" The boy nodded.

"Now," said my mother, "That man over there," she pointed at me, "is my son. He is usually grumpy in the mornings, so he didn't mean to yell at you wonderful children." I tried to nod convincingly.

The demigods turned their attention back to my mother as she began to talk again. I heard her in my head. _I believe you said you had some battle plans to attend to?_

As I backed out of the room, I heard my mother say, "Let's start with the basics. What are your names?"

**Thalia's POV**

"Hunters, I have news," said Artemis. We all looked up to see what she was going to say next. "You will be going to Camp Half-Blood."

We all groaned. Most of us weren't happy with it. We saw a camp full of boys who would betray us and girls who didn't want to join us. But I was fine with going back to camp. I'd get a chance to see Percy, Nico, Annabeth, Grover, and Chiron again.

"Why?" asked Phoebe.

Artemis sighed. "My annoying twin has found out that the next Great Prophecy has been recited. He thinks the first line of the prophecy has already been fulfilled."

"What?" I asked. "No. There can't be another Great Prophecy right after one has been fulfilled." _Apollo can't be right._

The next words she said pushed those thoughts right out of my head. "Athena agrees with him."

_Athena agreed with him? _My eyes widened. _Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was always right. That meant that I could be in another Titan war!_

"But how does that mean you have to leave?" asked Phoebe.

"The titans will be gaining power. They will be raising monsters, convincing anyone to switch sides. Yet, we still do not know who their leader is. Father wants me to find out," said Artemis. "You must go to the camp." She paused and looked at us.

We all nodded.

"Good," she said. "At least we are close enough to Camp Half-Blood that we do not have to ask Apollo for transportation again."

We all let out sighs of relief. That last time we had been in Apollo's sun chariot on the way to Camp Half-Blood… I had been driving. Let's just say there were a lot of accidents involving fire.

"All right, Hunters," said Artemis. "Get packed, and we will be on our way to the camp soon. Thalia, I must speak to you."

She led me away from our camp in the clearing.

"What do you want to talk to me about, my lady?" I asked.

"Thalia… The first line of the prophecy is: _A camper is lost who shall never return_."

"And Athena thinks it has already been fulfilled?" I asked. _Please say no. Please._

"Yes," she said.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no," I said. "Percy… That Kelp Head. Is he still at camp?"

Artemis hesitated. "It is not for me to say."

"What?" My voice grew louder. "You can't just tell me?"

She looked at me calmly. "Thalia… I'm sorry. I cannot tell you."

_Is this her way of telling me Percy left? _I was confused. Why couldn't she just tell me? I wanted to press her for more details, but I trusted her reasons for not telling me.

Artemis looked at me sadly this time. "Beware what you find at camp. You may not like it. But another war is coming, and we have no time for sorrow." Now I was sure that Percy had left camp. _Why, though? And why is Artemis being so… careful about the topic? _She looked down. "I… I cannot lose… another lieutenant."

I thought I understood. Not long after Zoe died, Artemis chose me as her lieutenant. I knew for a fact that she still missed Zoe, looking up at The Huntress every night. I also knew that Artemis loved me almost like a sister. And to me, she was like the big sister I never had, which was ironic because we were technically half-sisters.

I put my hand on her arm, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry," I said. "I will not die."

Artemis smiled. "Good. We should go back now." I followed her as she turned and started walking to the camp.

"Hunters!" she called through the trees. "I expect you to be finished packing now."

We broke out of the undergrowth to see the Hunters standing around a campfire, chatting with each other. Their silver wolves lay at each of their sides. They had packed up all the tents, but two: Artemis's and mine. Vara, my wolf and hunting partner, got up from where she lay next to my tent and padded over to me. Artemis's wolf, Aria, sat by her side.

Artemis snapped her fingers, and the tent folded in on itself, leaving her with a silver rectangle of smooth cloth about the size of a pack of gum. I started to pack my own tent, but she snapped her fingers again, and my tent folded itself as well. We were ready to go to Camp Half-Blood.

Artemis took one last look around, making sure we were all ready. Then, light-footed, she leaped through the trees without making a sound. We all followed her, not perfectly silent like she was, but quiet enough.

**Annabeth's POV**

The first thing we did when Argus dropped us off was argue.

"So… where are we supposed to go now?" muttered Clarisse, still sounding bored.

"We go west," snapped James. "Pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Clarisse sighed. "It's pretty vague. Do you want us to just start walking?"

"No," growled James. "I just answered your question. You don't have to be so cocky about it."

"Well," Clarisse snarled back. "If you weren't so stupid-"

"Guys!" I shouted. "Stop arguing! We're on a quest. We need to figure out where to go!"

"That's what I was trying to do, _Wise Girl_."

I looked down sadly. _Only Percy called me that._

"Come on," said James, gently laying a hand on my shoulder. "Let's just get on that bus."

I looked back up to see James smiling at me. He was gesturing towards a bus that had just pulled up. Clarisse was smirking at us.

We got on the bus. Clarisse held her electric spear in one hand and several daggers in her belt. James was carrying a short sword in a sheath. I had a celestial bronze dagger in my hand. And the mortals still saw three normal teenagers getting on a bus. I will never underestimate the power of the Mist.

We hadn't been on the bus for even ten minutes when Clarisse, who had been glancing suspiciously at the woman sitting in front of us, leaned forward and stabbed the woman through the seat with her spear.

"What the hell?" screamed James. "You're killing mortals!"

The woman screamed once before busting apart. Into monster dust. We were on a bus full of monsters.

"They're not mortals, you idiot!" Clarisse yelled. "They're monsters!"

She kicked a monster in the face and disintegrated it by thrusting her spear through where its heart should be.

I looked out the window. We weren't on the highway yet. That was good. I started to carve a hole in the side of my bus with my dagger. But it was too short to do fast enough.

Clarisse was still defending us from the monsters. She glanced back at me, and understanding flooded her eyes. "Take his sword! The moron's not using it!" she yelled.

I wanted to yell back that James wasn't a moron, even if he was just sitting there._ Percy would've helped me fight._

I suddenly realized that on my first quest, something similar to this had happened. But back then, Percy had been with me.

I pushed the thought out of my head and pulled James's sword out of its sheath. It was longer than my dagger, and would get the job done. I carved a hole in the side of the bus.

"Come on, James!" I screamed. "Jump!"

Without looking to see if he would follow me, I jumped out of the bus.

I landed on my side, rolling on the ground to end up on my back. I sat up and almost doubled over from pain, but I kept my eyes on the bus. I could see James leaning over the edge, scanning the ground. He was probably seeing if it was safe to jump.

"Just jump," I called, sucking in a breath as the pain hit again.

When he still didn't, Clarisse roughly shoved him off, threw something behind her into the bus, and jumped out after him. As they hit the ground, the bus exploded behind them.

I ran over to them, wincing at every step, and helped James up. He was covered in dirt. Clarisse stood up herself, refusing my help. She looked fine.

"What did you do?" I asked.

She grinned. "Greek fire."

She rummaged around in the backpack we had been given and tossed a bag of ambrosia to me. I ate a square and felt the pain in my chest lessen. I passed the bag to James and watched as he ate a piece.

"Where did you get it?" I asked Clarisse.

"Stopped by the Hephaestus cabin before leaving. Got a couple jars."

I nodded, and then turned on James. "Why didn't you do anything? You could've been killed! You-"

He hugged me. I sighed and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," he murmured against my ear. "But when the monsters attacked, and I looked at you… I saw you were in danger. And that froze me up. I couldn't move. I was just so afraid… I didn't want to lose you."

I pulled away and looked at him, my anger draining away. "It's okay," I said, smiling. "I won't die."

Off to the side, Clarisse cleared her throat. I had almost forgotten she was there.

"We shouldn't have gotten on that bus," said James.

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "You should've figured that out before you got on."

"Well, I was kind of busy comforting my girlfriend," he countered. My heart skipped a beat. _I'm his girlfriend?_

Clarisse snorted. I interrupted before they could get into another argument. "Stop arguing. Let's just focus on the quest." I paused. "We need a ride."

"Yeah," said Clarisse. "Yeah, we do."

**Thalia's POV**

After a little over an hour, we arrived at Camp Half-Blood. I hadn't been there in such a long time that I didn't realize I missed it until I walked up Half-Blood Hill, past my pine tree.

I couldn't see the cabins from there, but I could see demigods by the lake, some chatting with water nymphs. I could smell breakfast from the dining pavilion, although I was sure it was already over because of the sound of swords clanging in the arena.

Artemis was her usual twelve-year-old self. She closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them again.

"Chiron is at the archery range," she said.

As we walked towards the archery range, campers stopped and stared. We were a group of girls walking forwards with wolves at our sides, wearing silver clothes and carrying silver bows and arrows. Most of them knew who we were. The girls were looking at us in awe. Most of the boys were glaring at us. We glared right back.

One boy, who I could tell was a son of Ares, strutted up to us, and crossed his arms. "Who do you think you are? You can't just walk into camp like that."

Artemis glanced at him, disgust in her eyes. "Learn to show some respect, _boy_," she said, flicking her hand towards him.

Where the bulky son of Ares stood just a moment before sat a large jackalope with fur the color of mud. The demigods backed off as it ran around squeaking loudly. No one else got in our way while we headed to the archery range.

"Chiron," called Artemis.

Chiron turned. When he saw Artemis, he bowed as best as he could. The campers he had been teaching kneeled.

"Rise."

The campers stood and watched us carefully. Chiron straightened. "Lady Artemis," he said. "What do you need?"

"I must hunt alone," said Artemis, her eyebrows furrowing. "The Hunters will stay in my cabin here. I presume that is all right with you?"

Chiron nodded. "Of course." He smiled. "The Hunters are always welcome here. You came just in time. I was about to call a meeting for all the cabin counselors to discuss something urgent." Chiron looked down at the jackalope. "Unfortunately, that boy was the counselor for the Ares cabin. Can you turn him back?"

Artemis reluctantly nodded. She flicked her hand at him, and the son of Ares was a boy again.

"Thank you," said Chiron, looking at the camper in disapproval. "When must you leave?"

"Now," she said, before starting to glow brightly.

We all turned away as she showed her true godly form, and teleported away.

**Percy's POV**

I woke to the sound of growling and barking. I sat up to see Mrs. O'Leary playfully wresting another hellhound. Nico was leaning against a rock, fast asleep. I vaguely remembered fighting monsters with him the night before. And him telling me he would keep watch. I grinned. _Great job._

Blackjack landed beside me. _Hey boss. You're alive!_

"Yeah, Blackjack. Don't call me boss."

_Sure, boss. _He paused. _You remember last night?_

"Yeah, we were fighting monsters and Nico came. You remember Nico?"

_Yeah._ He snorted. _I still don't like him. He smells like death._

I rolled my eyes. "He's a son of Hades. Of course he smells like death. And haven't we already had this conversation?"

_This time it's worse. The hellhound smelled like death too. Now there are two of them. All I can smell is death._

"What if I go get you a donut later?"

He instantly perked up. _Did you say donut, boss? Covered in chocolate and sprinkles?_

"Yeah, but only if you stop whining about Nico and Mrs. O'Leary. And stop calling me boss."

_Sure, boss. When do I get the donut?_

I sighed. "As soon as I find a store that sells donuts."

_I'll find it for you, boss!_

As Blackjack flew away, Nico groaned and sat up. His hellhound immediately stopped playing around with Mrs. O'Leary and went to his side.

"Nice job keeping watch, Zombie Dude," I said.

He grinned sheepishly and yawned. "Yeah… But I made it to around three in the morning."

His hellhound pounced on him and started licking his face.

"Raven!" he yelled. "Get off me!"

Raven stared at him for a second, and then got off of him. Nico grumbled something under his breath. I watched him vainly try to wipe the dog saliva off himself before making it evaporate.

He stood up. "Thanks, Perce."

"No problem." I looked at Raven. "So that's Raven?"

He smiled. "Yeah, my hellhound… She's kind of friends with Mrs. O'Leary."

"How do they know each other?" I asked, reaching down to scratch her behind her ears.

"Long story." He glanced down at Raven. "Shut up, Raven."

My jaw dropped. "You guys can communicate?"

"Yeah," he said. "Kind of like you and Blackjack." He sighed. "She keeps calling me chief."

I laughed. "Just like Blackjack…"

"No way." He snorted. "Raven's more annoying."

We laughed together for a while before he said, "Percy, you are so screwed."

"Why?" I asked.

"I had a dream." He started to grin. "The Hunters are going to Camp Half-Blood."

_The Hunters? Why would I be screwed? _Then it clicked.

I swore.

Nico's grin widened. "Thalia's going to hunt you down and kill you when she finds your note."

**AN: So, I tried to make two polls: one for Percy's pairing, and one for good/evil Annabeth. For some reason, it won't let me show the two at once. So, I'm going to switch the polls every now and then, at least every day. Some people put their votes in their reviews (which I'm perfectly ok with :D) so what I'll probably end up doing is adding up the votes in the reviews and the results of the poll. I haven't added them yet, but I will when it's over. I hope that works for you guys! If anyone has a better suggestion, or can fix my poll problem, please tell me.**

**I would also like some OCs for the demigod children on the titan's side. There will be ten, and I described them up there^. I just need names, godly parent (probably no gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, but maybe possible), personality, and a bit of their background, like how they grew up. I can't guarantee that they will all be used. And if I want to make some changes, if it's ok with you, I'll PM you first.**

**Well? Who liked this chapter?**


	8. The Wrath of Thalia Grace

**AN: Chapter 8 is here at last.**

**I feel so disappointed in myself… I waited almost three days to start this chapter… Sorry, guys.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Jenyla: Thank you. ;D**

**Air Flare: That's for sharing that with me. I got the idea for this story from a random thought. :)**

**zsouthwell: Ok, thanks.**

**Gold Testament: Hmm… Are you saying that Annabeth should be good because I'm not pairing Percy with Athena?**

**unicornblastpop: Thank you. Yeah, Percy's screwed when Thalia finds him. XP**

**MysticLion: Ok, I'll try.**

**Starstryker97: Thank you! I normally try to update around once a week.**

**aesir21: Thank you.**

**Eloquence Deceptive: Thanks :D**

**LyingTruth123: Thank you very much.**

**Vote results (I added the ones from the poll):**

**Percy x Zoe: 21 (I think it's safe to say that Zoe wins this one.)**

**Percy x Thalia: 11**

**Percy x Hestia: 6**

**Percy x Clarisse: 5**

**Percy x Bianca: 5**

**Percy x OC: 4**

**Percy x Reyna: 1**

**As for Annabeth (I'm still keeping this one going):**

**Evil Annabeth: 7**

**Not Evil (Good) Annabeth: 8**

**I might actually just do a combination of both.**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Percy. Jackson.**

**Chapter 8: The Wrath of Thalia Grace**

**Thalia's POV**

After Artemis teleported away, Chiron told the rest of the campers to go back to their daily activities while he led the cabin counselors to the Big House to have a meeting. I turned to lead the Hunters to Artemis's cabin, but Chiron called me back.

"Thalia… You are the lieutenant of the Hunters. We need you to represent them in our meeting."

I didn't think anything was more important than if Percy really left, and why.

"No, Chiron," I said with an apologetic look on my face. "I've got more important things to do." I started to walk towards the cabins.

"This is important, Thalia." I glanced back at him. He looked at me like he knew what I was thinking. He probably did. "It's about the prophecy."

I stopped in my tracks. If Athena had been right, the prophecy concerned Percy. And I had to know the rest of it anyway.

"Okay, I'm coming." I looked at the rest of the Hunters. "Go relax in the cabin."

They looked at me, nodded, and headed towards the cabin. They were my sisters. They understood the brother-sister relationship I had with Percy. They respected him, and probably suspected that he had something to do with the prophecy.

I grinned at Phoebe. "Try not to crash the meeting or shoot anyone intentionally."

The Stoll brothers paled and backed behind Chiron.

I walked into the Big House with the other head counselors and sat down around the ping-pong table. _Just like old times._

Once we all sat down, Chiron started the meeting. "This is Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis," he said, pointing at me. "Thalia, I believe you know everyone here, except for Tyler." He pointed at the son of Ares who had been a jackalope a couple of minutes ago. He glared at me, and I smirked in return. "He is filling in for Clarisse, who is currently on a quest."

I glanced around the table and noticed the absence of the head counselor of Poseidon's cabin. I saw Malcolm, probably filling in for Annabeth. "Where's Annabeth?"

Malcolm chewed his lip. "She's… not here…"

I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything about his nervousness. "Okay, Chiron. Let's just get this meeting started."

"Yes." He smiled at me. "You all know that the next Great Prophecy has been recited by the Oracle." There were hesitant nods around the table. "You probably don't know _what _the prophecy is. The Olympians want me to share it with you. Malcolm, you and the rest of the Athena cabin will work on finding the meaning of the prophecy." He paused and looked each of us in the eye. "Are you ready for the prophecy?"

When he received unwavering nods from everyone, he recited the prophecy.

No one spoke for a while. We were all thinking about the prophecy. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were all sons of Kronos, who was a titan. What secrets did they have? And Chiron. He was a son of Kronos himself. I looked at Chiron. As a son of Athena, Malcolm had figured it out sooner than I had, so he was already glancing at Chiron suspiciously.

Chiron gave us both sad smiles before saying, "Meeting adjourned."

I was the first person to walk out of the Big House. For the next five minutes, I wandered aimlessly around camp, lost in my own head, until I crashed into someone. Grover.

I helped him up, apologizing.

"It's okay, Thalia," he said. "But it's nice to see you again." He started to walk off.

"Wait!" I yelled after him.

"Yeah?" he said, turning around.

"What happened to Percy and Annabeth?"

He stiffened. "Percy… left camp…"

Athena was right, again. "Why?"

Grover seemed to be having a debate with himself in his head. I tried to wait patiently. Before I got mad and struck him with lightning, he blurted something out.

"Percy cheated on Annabeth."

"No…" I mumbled. "Percy would never…" A thought struck my head. "So… Is that why Annabeth wasn't at the meeting? Is she just sulking in the Athena cabin?"

Before I knew what I was doing, I stomped over to the Athena cabin. Grover tried to stop me, but I brushed him aside and knocked on the door.

When nothing happened, I called, "Annabeth! Open. The. Door. Now!"

The door didn't move an inch.

I blasted the door off its hinges with lightning and strode into the cabin. When I saw its emptiness, the four words Grover had said earlier finally sank in.

_Percy cheated on Annabeth._

The wind started to pick up inside the cabin. Blankets and pillows came flying off the beds. Papers flew everywhere. I knew I was causing it, but I couldn't stop.

"Where the hell is Annabeth?" I yelled.

"Thalia!" Grover shouted frantically. "Thalia! Annabeth's not here! She's on a quest! Please, Thalia! Just calm down!"

Through the open doorway, I saw Malcolm staring at me with wide eyes. The entire Athena cabin stood behind them. For their sake, I calmed down enough so that the wind died down, and the papers fluttered down. When Malcolm stepped through the doorway, I stared him down with a fierce look on my face.

"Tell me _everything_. Now."

He nodded nervously. "Percy cheated-"

"I know that part," I growled. I still couldn't believe that had actually happened. "Skip it. Did he leave camp?"

"Yeah, he left," said Malcolm. "Annabeth's on a quest with Clarisse and James."

I raised my eyebrows. "James?"

"Yeah."

_**Flashback – 6 months ago**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

"_Hunters!" Artemis shouted across the clearing. "We are going to Camp Half-Blood in five minutes, where you will be staying while I go on another solo hunt."_

_I grinned, even though the other Hunters weren't as enthusiastic._

_A couple hours later, I was walking through camp again. The Hunters had all settled down in Cabin Eight, and Artemis had left. It was a Friday, so there would be a capture the flag game between the Hunters and the campers. We would probably win._

_I turned a corner and crashed into someone._

"_Oh, sorry. I didn't see you," he said._

_It was Percy. He was holding hands with Annabeth, and there was someone behind him._

_I laughed. "Hey, Perce."_

_His eyes widened. "Thals! What are you doing here?"_

"_I got here ten minutes ago. Artemis had a solo hunt and dropped us off here." I looked at Annabeth. "Hey Annabeth."_

_A grin split her face in half and she ran forwards to hug me. "Gods, I missed you Thalia!"_

"_Yeah, I missed you too Annabeth."_

_I stepped back, glancing at the person who had come to stand next to Percy now. He had black hair and eyes that were a shade darker green than Percy's._

"_Hi," I said, holding out my hand to shake._

_He pretended not to see it. "Hi. I'm James."_

"_I'm Thalia," I replied coldly, moving my hand back to my side._

_Percy laughed nervously. "Thalia, this is James Walker." Ignoring my eye roll, he continued. "He's my half-brother, and a son of Poseidon. He came to camp five months ago." He turned to James. "James, this is Thalia, daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis."_

"_Nice to meet you," James grumbled._

"_Same to you," I snarled._

_We stood there awkwardly, glaring at each other until Percy stepped between us._

"_Uh… Capture the flag will be in an hour. Maybe we should start preparing…"_

_James glanced at Percy. "I'll be in the cabin." He walked away, taking large steps._

_As soon as he was out of sight, I raised my eyebrows at Percy. "That's your half-brother?"_

"_Yeah…" he muttered._

"_What the Hades is wrong with him?"_

_He sighed. "I don't know… He's been like that since he was claimed five months ago."_

_A thought crossed my mind. "How old is he?"_

"_Fifteen," answered Annabeth._

_My mouth dropped open. "Fifteen? Didn't they make an oath? On the River Styx?"_

_Annabeth nodded. "Yes. And it was broken so soon… But nothing has happened yet…"_

_An hour later, it was time for capture the flag. In a matter of minutes, I ran to the other side of the creek with the campers' flag just as James ran out of the forest with the silver flag of the Hunters._

_He plowed right into the creek, which rose up to stop him. The rest of the Hunters watched from the edge of the trees, holding back snorts of laughter._

_Percy emerged from the trees, and James immediately pounced on him._

"_We could have won!" he shouted. "If you were there to stop her from getting across the creek, we would have won!"_

"_Whoa," said Percy. "Chill, dude. The Hunters win every time. It's just a game."_

"_We could have won this time!" James yelled, shoving Percy. "You should have stayed at the border to stop them from getting across!"_

"_I got to the creek at the same time you came out of the forest, Walker," I pointed out. "You're a son of Poseidon. Use those water powers." I smirked. "You are skilled enough, aren't you?"_

"_Shut up, Hunter," he growled at me._

_He moved his hand towards me, and a wave of water from the creek mimicked his actions, heading straight towards me. But before it could douse me, it stopped._

_I turned to see Percy holding his hand out. He and James glared at each other, each trying to move the wave in a different direction, but James soon gave up. The wave splashed back into the creek._

"_Thanks, Kelp Head," I said. "But I could have taken care of it myself."_

"_No problem, Pinecone Face," he said._

_Suddenly, his eyes widened and he thrust out his hand. I looked around to see a wall of water an inch away from my nose._

_Percy waved his hand and the water evaporated into the breeze._

"_Don't you know when to stop?" I shouted, disbelief written all over my face._

"_You should have just stayed out of this," he snarled. "This isn't your fight."_

"_Are you kidding me?" I screamed._

_Before anyone could stop me, I leveled my spear towards him and yelled to the sky. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot down, hit the head of my spear, and followed its path to James, striking him in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, smoking._

_Chiron galloped out of the forest, followed by Annabeth, who looked at James on the ground with concern._

"_What happened?" he asked, even though I was sure he already knew what had happened from the look of disapproval directed at James._

"_James provoked her," Percy muttered._

_**End Flashback**_

"Sorry about your cabin…" I mumbled, helping Malcolm pick up papers on the floor.

A small piece of paper sitting on Annabeth's bunk where the pillow had been blown off caught my eye. I picked it up and read it. It was obviously from Percy. But why would he leave a note for Chiron, Nico, and I in the Athena cabin?

I turned the note over in my hands and saw that there was a back to it. As I read it, I was more confused than ever. _You will regret that you ever disbelieved me. I loved you, and I still do. But that love has been betrayed._

Realization hit me like a lightning bolt.

The note from Percy. In the Athena cabin. Under Annabeth's pillow.

My tired brain put the facts together. Percy would never cheat on Annabeth. _But that love has been betrayed. _Annabeth had cheated on Percy. Percy had probably left camp, leaving the note. And Annabeth… _That stupid daughter of Athena told everyone Percy cheated on her._

Malcolm turned around, straightening from his bent position. He saw the paper in my hands and asked, "What's that?"

I looked at him in astonishment. "You haven't read this?"

He came over and glanced at it. "No… Why?"

"It's Percy's note." I gave it to him.

"I'm such an idiot!" he yelled when he finished reading it, front and back.

"What?" I asked, surprised that a son of Athena would admit that he was an idiot.

"Annabeth," he grumbled. "I should've known. She would never tell anyone that she cheated on Percy… So she told everyone that Percy cheated on her… when it was all her!"

"I knew it!" yelled Grover.

I couldn't believe that Annabeth would lie to everyone at camp. But I couldn't believe that Percy would ever cheat on Annabeth.

"I'm going after Percy," I said, determination lining my voice.

Malcolm looked up in shock. "But… you can't."

"Why?" I snarled at him.

He stepped back, but continued bravely. "Percy wouldn't want it."

"And _how do you know what Percy wants_?"

He held the note out to me and pointed out a section on the back. _To Thalia, when she comes with the Hunters of Artemis: You'll always be a favorite cousin. I know you'll miss me, but just forget about me. It's best that way._

I stared at the note incredulously.

"_Did that Kelp Head just tell me that it was best to forget about him?_" I screamed at the sky.

Grover backed out of the room, followed closely by Malcolm. The wind picked up again in the Athena cabin. This time, though, I had a decent reason to be angry.

**Percy's POV**

Nico and I were sitting on the ground with Mrs. O'Leary and Raven lying by our sides, waiting for Blackjack.

"So when did he say he was going to come back?" Nico asked for what had to be the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.

"I don't know," I said, making sure he heard the exasperation in my voice.

He ignored it. "When did he leave again?"

"Nico!" I screamed with frustration. "Twenty minutes ago. Satisfied? Now leave me alone."

Of course, he didn't do that.

"If he left twenty minutes ago to find a _donut shop_, don't you think he'd be back by now?" Nico wondered.

I was about to open my mouth to reply when I heard thunder in the distance.

I turned around and saw a bolt of lightning strike the ground. In the direction of Camp Half-Blood.

Nico had turned around, and I could tell that he was thinking exactly what I was thinking. We exchanged glances and fell to the ground, laughing. When I could finally sit up without laughing, I was panting and clutching my stomach.

"See? You're screwed," said Nico, between laughs. "I think Thalia found your note."

"Gee, _you think?_" I asked.

We both glanced at the lightning flashing at Camp Half-Blood and burst out laughing again.

Five minutes later, Blackjack landed beside me. Nico and I were still having trouble holding in small snorts of laughter every time we heard a rumble of thunder.

_Hey boss._

"Hi Blackjack," I said.

_What's so funny?_

I laughed. "You probably don't want to know, but I'm screwed."

_Okay boss… Guess what? I found a donut shop! And… something else too…_

"Okay, I'll get you a donut." I glanced at Nico. "Do you have any cash? I have to get Blackjack a donut," I said, rolling my eyes towards Blackjack.

He nodded, smirking.

"What else did you find?" I asked Blackjack.

The Pegasus looked down. _I think it's better if you just come and see…_

"Okay…" I leaped onto his back. "You coming, Nico?"

He shook his head, backing away from Blackjack. "I'm fine on the ground… Raven and I can follow from here."

I nodded. "Take Mrs. O'Leary with you."

"Sure," he said, climbing onto Raven's back. Mrs. O'Leary stood next to Raven, ready to run.

"All right, Blackjack," I said. "Let's go get you that donut."

_Yeah boss!_

He took off. I looked down, to see Raven, carrying Nico, and Mrs. O'Leary below keeping pace with us.

Soon enough, I walked out of a donut shop with an entire box of donuts for Blackjack. I dropped the box in front of him, watching with Nico as he munched on a donut covered with chocolate and sprinkles.

_Mm… This is a very good donut. Thanks, boss._

"No problem," I said. "Now show me what else you found."

He stiffened and quickly swallowed the donut whole. _You sure, boss?_

"Yeah… Just show me." My curiosity was at its peak now.

"I'll come too," said Nico. Raven and Mrs. O'Leary stood up with him.

_Fine. Just don't get upset._

He nudged me around a corner, and I nearly fell over from shock at the scene.

Annabeth and James were lying side by side on the ground, holding hands, fast asleep. Clarisse sat off to the side, staring at them in contempt and sharpening a dagger.

Nico swore softly behind me. "Oh gods… What do we do now, Perce?"

I hesitated and looked at Annabeth, sleeping soundly and holding hands with James.

"I don't know, Nico. I really don't know."

**AN: No one made any OCs, so I'll be making my own. But I'm still accepting them, if you want to. Details are in previous chapter.**

**So, Thalia's mad, and Percy found Annabeth… What do you think will happen next? Good chapter?**


	9. The Bitter Truth is Accepted

**AN: Wow! Chapter 9, and already over 100 reviews! Congrats to UltimateHades for the hundredth review! Thank you so much!**

**Air Flare: Yes! Someone who likes cliffhangers! Don't worry, there'll be a bunch. ;D**

**aesir21: I'm assuming that by Biko, you mean Nico. And… yeah, you're right about the prophecy… And you're not the only person who wants to kill James right now. :D**

**Haruyuki (Guest): Perfect OC! I need her for Chaos's army! Thank you! The only thing I might change is the stuff about her and Percy with Chaos.**

**Silver Moon Huntress: Lol. :D**

**SnowTime: I'll try. :)**

**OmegaExodus: Thanks. :) You made so many OCs for me! You are awesome!**

**AnimexMangaAddict: Wow, three smiley faces! I have such a soft spot for smiley faces… :) I'm trying to make Clarisse somewhat likeable, so yay!**

**Imogen Heap (Guest): Yes, of course I will use your OC! The little six-year-old girl… with an extremely high pain tolerance… I really like her. Thanks! :D**

**TehShinyGengar: Thanks. I will NEVER discontinue this story or any other story I write. And I'm a girl. :D**

**UltimateHades: Thanks, nice OC. ;D**

**Menna Nasser (Guest): Thank you! :)**

**Spikeitup (Guest): Artemis is just there for her Hunters. And Percy will be with Zoe.**

**I am Katrina daughter of Time: Okay, sure. Here it is.**

** .deceptive: Me glad you like.**

** . .27: Annabeth will technically be evil, and Percy will be with Zoe. I hope you're all right with that.**

**Addicted to PJO: Lol. Annabeth will be evil, somewhat, and sorry, but Percy is with Zoe.**

**EloquenceDecepti (Guest): Seriously? He's one of my favorite characters!**

**As for the votes, good Annabeth is winning by one, and on the polls, the mixture of good and evil is winning, which I'll probably end up doing. To clarify, the good/evil mix is basically Annabeth having trouble deciding, or being good/evil, then changing sides.**

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson does not belong to me. Unfortunately.**

**Chapter 9: The Bitter Truth is Accepted**

**Mystery Person's POV**

My mother spent most of today convincing the demigods that they were, well, demigods, while I held a war council to discuss battle plans with the other titans. The demigods seem to have finally accepted the truth now. The eleven-year-old boy, obviously a son of Apollo, has helped persuade the others. He can tell which statements are lies and which are true. My mother has been telling them the truth the entire time, so he has no reason to deem us untrustworthy.

My mother's voice sounded in my head. _The demigods know about the godly side of their families. You must teach them the truth about the gods now. We know their godly parents now. They do too._

I grimaced. "I am no good at teaching children, Mother. I am needed for battle plans!"

_You and your precious battle plans. They will fail if you do not gain the demigods' trust. We need them. _She paused, letting it sink in. _Have you memorized their names?_

"Yes," I grumbled.

_Do you know their godly parents?_

"Yes, I remember them," I muttered.

_Then you are fit to teach them. You must go now. I have already left. They are getting restless. They do not have the patience to wait for you!_

"Well, I do not have the patience to teach them!" I shouted.

_They are young,_ she said, her voice still as calm and unmoving as the ground beneath my feet. _Patience is not expected from youngsters. However, you, my son, are many millennia old. You are expected to have patience. It is a lesson you should have learned millennium ago. _Her voice never rose in pitch or volume, but I got the impression that it should have risen to a shout near the end.

"All right, I'll head over there now."

I left the war council, telling the other titans to build on the plan and inform me later.

_Good._ _They are in the same room as this morning._

I made my way through the monster camp. I got to the room too soon and still didn't know what to say when I opened the door.

_I told them you were trustworthy. Do not tell a lie, _my mother warned. _Beware of the son of Apollo. He will be able to tell._

I nodded, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside.

Immediately, ten pairs of eyes snapped over to me. The six-year-old girl – Violet something, was it? – was still sitting in the lap of the eleven-year-old girl, whose name started with a J.

_The six-year-old is Violet Juliet O'Hara,_ my mother supplied._ She is the daughter of Odyne, the goddess of pain. The eleven-year-old is Jane Whitrow, daughter of Demeter. Smile at them._

I smiled.

The demigods looked shocked, as if they had never expected I had the ability to smile. The eleven-year-old boy, the son of Apollo, just squinted at my face.

_His name is Ruku Sado, _my mother growled. _Remember it._

"All right, all right, I got it," I muttered under my breath.

When Ruku raised his eyebrows, I knew he had heard me.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said, my smile vanishing. The look on his face clearly said that he didn't believe me. Unfortunately, I was lying, and he could tell. "I was talking to myself," I added, wondering how I was supposed to teach this group of demigods when one of them obviously already disliked me.

_Great, I'm already on their bad side._

_Do not despair,_ said my mother, but I could tell she was disappointed. _You cannot lie._

_I just did._

_Do not lie again, _she said.

_I'll try not to._

I smiled widely. "Hello, children… I presume you have been told that you are demigods."

"Yeah," said Ruku. "Why are you here?"

"Well, Ruku, you know about the gods, don't you?"

His eyes narrowed. "How did you know my name?"

I hadn't expected them to be so suspicious. They were only children. "Oh… Uh, I… You told me," I stammered.

"That's a lie," he stated flatly.

"Uh… My mother told me your name," I said. It wasn't a lie, but I could tell Ruku still didn't believe me.

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

**Percy's POV**

"What are they doing here anyways?" I whispered, looking back at Nico.

"I don't know. There's supposed to be at camp," he said.

I was struck with a thought. "The titans are rising… Zeus wanted to order two quests: one to find me, and one to find the Romans."

Nico gave me a confused look. "The titans are rising again?"

"I saw it in a dream," I explained. He nodded. "So Annabeth could be trying to find the Romans… or me."

I looked at Annabeth. She was asleep and hadn't moved, still clasping hands with James.

Clarisse suddenly looked up from sharpening her dagger and whipped her head around. She made eye contact with me an instant before Nico pulled me back, and I knew she had seen me.

I heard a sharp clatter, which I assumed was the dagger falling to the ground. Then, I heard footsteps, coming towards the corner Nico and I were behind.

Nico swore softly behind me. "I think she saw you."

"I _know _she saw me," I muttered.

Clarisse peered around the corner. "Prissy?" she asked, a shocked expression on her face.

I rolled my eyes and stepped forwards a little. "Hi Clarisse… It's Percy."

"Fine, whatever, _Percy_." She glanced around, taking in Nico, Blackjack, Mrs. O'Leary, and Raven. "Di Angelo? So that's where you went. And you guys have a Pegasus and two hellhounds?"

"Uh… yeah," said Nico.

We all stood in silence for a second. Then, Clarisse opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a soft growl sounded around the corner. We all looked to see a hydra hovering over Annabeth and James, who were still asleep and oblivious to the fact that they were about to become monster chow.

Clarisse and I glanced at each other, and then simultaneously charged at the hydra, raising our weapons. With the air infused with water vapor, charging me with energy, I got there first.

I leaped over Annabeth's still sleeping body and stabbed one of the heads in the eye. It hissed in pain and growled at me. I ran past Clarisse in the direction I had just come from, hoping to draw it away from Annabeth. It worked, but now I had a really mad hydra chasing after me.

As I turned around to face it, Clarisse jumped in front of me, parrying two sets of teeth with the shaft of her spear. The other heads were focused to Nico behind it.

"I'll chop off the heads," I said to Clarisse. "Do you have any fire?"

"I'll be fine!" she whispered angrily. "I don't need your help. I've got jars of Greek fire. Besides, it's one of the younger ones, and can't spit acid." She paused, looking back at Annabeth and James, who were, as impossible as it sounds, still asleep. "She'll wake up any second. I have no idea what's still keeping her asleep. You need to leave _now_."

I bit my lip. Clarisse was right. I did need to leave before Annabeth woke up and saw me. But I couldn't get rid of the feeling that as soon as I left, something bad would happen.

Clarisse saw that I was arguing with myself. "_Leave_," she said, glaring at me. "_Now._"

I looked at her. She was going to be all right. She was a daughter of Ares. She could handle a hydra. And she had Annabeth to help her, if she ever woke up.

"Nico!" I called around the hydra. "We have to leave! Get on Raven! Take Mrs. O'Leary and shadow travel to Central Park!" I didn't hang around to make sure he heard me. "Blackjack!"

Right on cue, Blackjack flew down and landed next to me. _Hey boss._

I climbed onto his back and waved at Clarisse. The corners of her mouth tilted upwards, and she nodded at me.

As we flew away, I saw Annabeth lying on the ground, still asleep, and still holding hands with James. And I couldn't help but worry about her.

**Annabeth's POV**

"I'm tired," James had said, dragging his feet along the ground. "Maybe we should rest a little. I want to take a nap."

He did look tired. And we could use a rest.

"Let's stop for a while," I told Clarisse.

She turned to me incredulously. "You actually want to rest? Have you noticed that it's not even _close_ to sunset?"

"Come on, Clarisse. A little nap can't hurt you," I reasoned.

"Fine," she grumbled.

James looked pleased and grinned at me. He lay down and patted the ground beside him. I lay down next to him, and he slipped his hand into mine. I smiled at him, and the last thing I heard before falling asleep was James talking to Clarisse.

"Keep watch, will ya?"

_**Annabeth's Dream**_

_I was standing in my room. It was my actual room, in my dad's house in San Francisco. An owl flew through the window and landed on my bed, staring at me silently._

"_Mother?" I asked it._

_It nodded at me, jumped off my bed, and started to glow. I turned away. When I turned back, I saw my mother._

"_Hello Annabeth," she said._

"_Hello Mother," I replied. "Why am I here?"_

"_I just wanted to talk to you." She smiled, but then her expression turned serious. "Things have been happening," she said gravely. "After you left, Apollo called for a council and told us that the next Great Prophecy was recited by the Oracle."_

_My mouth hung open in shock. My mother wouldn't be telling me this unless it was important. That probably meant that the new Great Prophecy wasn't going to take another seventy years to fulfill._

"_I… I have to go back to camp!" I said. "The prophecy means that the titans are planning another attack, doesn't it? It… it's Gaea this time, isn't it?"_

"_Annabeth…" she murmured. "Yes, it is Gaea. And yes, she is more powerful than Kronos." I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her voice and talked over me. "Annabeth! You must remain focused on your quest! Since Gaea is more powerful, we will need more help! That is why you must get to the Roman camp!"_

"_But-" I protested._

"_The Romans will be more help to Camp Half-Blood than you, Annabeth!" My mother took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. "Remember your fatal flaw, and do not let it control you!"_

_My fatal flaw. Hubris. My mother was right, as always. I couldn't let it control me._

"_Okay," I said._

_My mother looked at me and nodded. "Good… You should wake up now. Your… friends… need you."_

_**End Annabeth's Dream**_

I woke to the sounds of battle and yelling. I opened my eyes to see Clarisse fighting off a hydra, while screaming at us to wake up.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was half up with my dagger in my hand. James sat up slowly next to me, rubbing his eyes.

"What's happening…" he murmured.

"Get up and help me fight this hydra, _Wise Girl_. And get Fish Boy over there to wake up!" Clarisse screamed.

I cringed at Percy's nickname for me, but helped James up.

"You were supposed to keep watch!" James yelled at Clarisse.

"I _was _keeping watch!" Clarisse shrieked. "I can't kill a hydra that fast. The Greek fire's in the backpack over there, and I don't have enough time to get it out without getting eaten! And _you_ weren't helping! So, go make yourself useful, and get the Greek fire so I can kill the freaking hydra!"

"Okay, okay," James muttered under his breath. I still didn't get why they hated each other so much.

He started over to the backpack, but I ran to it before him, and pulled the jars of Greek fire out.

"Clarisse!" I called. "I have the Greek fire! Start chopping the heads off, and I'll throw it onto the stumps!"

She nodded and ran to James. I understood instantly and yelled, "James! Give her your sword!"

Thankfully, he handed it over to Clarisse without complaint. After that, Clarisse and I made short work of the hydra. Soon, it dissolved into golden monster dust. All that was left was a single hydra tooth, gleaming in the sunlight. Clarisse picked it up and placed it in her pocket.

**Thalia's POV**

It was Phoebe who got me to calm down enough to stop the wind, thunder, and lightning. But it was already too late; the Athena cabin was in ruins. The rest of the Hunters had come to gather around the Athena cabin as soon as they heard the first rumble of thunder and saw the first strike of lightning.

At some point, I had gotten so mad, rain had poured down on the camp, despite the magical boundaries. It softened down to a drizzle now.

Chiron approached me carefully, trotting through what used to be the doorway of the Athena cabin, but was now just a jumble of wood.

"Thalia?" he said cautiously. "What happened?"

"That… _Kelp Head!_" I yelled at the sky. "He runs away from camp and leaves a note telling _me_ that _it's best for him to be forgotten!_"

"Ah," said Chiron, nodding sadly. "Percy?" I said nothing. "Thalia… Percy is smarter than you think. If he left, he must have had a reason to leave."

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about Percy. Would knowing that Annabeth cheated on him be enough to get him to leave? It probably was. His fatal flaw was personal loyalty. If his loved ones didn't reflect the love and loyalty he gave them…

And Percy obviously didn't want me going after him. But there was nothing stopping me from going after Annabeth.

"Annabeth's on a quest, right?" I asked Chiron.

"Yes."

"I'm going after her."

"No!" Chiron shook his head. "You cannot, Thalia. She is on a quest to find the Roman campers for help."

I sighed, but nodded. I looked to Malcolm. "Sorry about your cabin," I said curtly.

He took a small step away from me, glancing nervously up at the sky. "It's okay…"

I looked at the small group of Hunters and motioned them to follow me. "I'll be in Cabin Eight," I told Chiron. He nodded silently as he and the campers watched us leave.

When I got to Artemis's cabin, I packed up my tent, a spare bow, some clothes, and a canteen of nectar into a small, silver backpack. Slinging it over my shoulder, I walked out of the cabin.

"Wait!" Phoebe called after me. "Where are you going?"

"After Annabeth."

"Why?" she asked. "Lady Artemis told us to stay at camp."

I kept walking. "I think Artemis would be fine with me leaving to find a disgrace to women, and avenge a cousin and friend."

Phoebe ran forwards to step in front of me. "Then wait for me to pack. I'll come with you."

I looked her in the eyes. "No, Phoebe. This is something I must do alone."

After scrutinizing my face, she stepped back and let me continue walking towards Half-Blood Hill. "Good luck, Thalia," she said. "And may the stars and the moon be ever with you."

"Bye, Phoebe."

I walked up Half-Blood Hill and past my pine tree. Phoebe would explain to Chiron where I went, and hopefully, he would understand.

**AN: Just a reminder: Vote on the new poll, which will tell me what you guys think about having Leo and Piper in the story. Or you can mention something about it in your review. I can't give you guys the next chapter until it's obvious what you guys want, since Leo and Piper will be in it. :D**

**Just to clear this up, Annabeth is evil/good. Percy will be with Zoe. Everything clear now?**

**This was one of my short chapters, but I hope you liked it!**


	10. Powerful Demigods Appear

**AN: Chapter 10, double digits now!**

**zsouthwell: Yeah, Zoe will be in the chapter. :D**

**Haruyuki (Guest): Yep, your OC was great! And there is a poll, but it's closed now.**

**AnimeXMangaAddict: Thanks! I really like Clarisse, and I'm glad you like her too!**

**Thantos Daughter: Thank you!**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: You're welcome… And thank you.**

**Rose Daughter of Euterpe: Okay! And thanks!**

**GuestD (Guest): Thank you so much!**

**LyingTruth123: Yeah, I'll put her in later, with a twin brother if that's all right with you.**

**Air Flare: Thanks. I'll try to keep the POV switches at no more than three or four, maybe five, but I just love switching POVs… This chapter only has two, though!**

**aesir21: You're welcome, and thank you!**

**MysticLion: Yep. :D**

** .deceptive: Thank you.**

**Gold Testament: Yeah, explained in the PM.**

**jchizzie123: Chaos army won, by ONE. Sorry.**

**Silver Moon Huntress: Wow! The winning results!**

**briodeo97: Sorry…**

**NA (Guest): Sure.**

**Starstryker97: Thank you. ;D**

**njbhyguiho (Guest): I'm really, really, really sorry about this, but I started writing this chapter before you reviewed, and when your vote came in, I already wrote the part with Piper and Leo, and didn't want to start over…**

**Vote Results:**

**Wandering demigods: 17**

**Chaos army: 18**

**Camp Half-Blood: 4**

**Not traitors: 24**

**Traitors: 5**

**Disclaimer: I did just make a bunch of OCs, but Percy Jackson is not one of them.**

**Chapter 10: Powerful Demigods Appear**

**Third Person's POV (at Camp Half-Blood)**

After Thalia and the Hunters left, the campers just stood around staring at the remains of the Athena cabin. As they looked, an owl flew down from a tree branch nearby, landed on the pile of wood where the doorway used to be, and regarded them with large inquisitive eyes. When it started to glow brightly, the campers averted their eyes. When they looked back, Athena stood in the place of the owl.

"Lady Athena," said Chiron, kneeling immediately.

The campers all followed his example.

Athena's piercing gray eyes skimmed over the kneeling campers, taking the time to look at each of them individually. To the campers, it seemed like she was studying each of them carefully, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. They shifted nervously. The entire camp held its breath.

Finally, Athena broke the silence. "Rise." She turned to survey her demolished cabin. "What happened here?"

"Lady Athena-" started Chiron.

"What happened here?" she asked again.

"Thalia," said Chiron. But before he could continue, Athena interrupted him.

"Thalia," she repeated. "What gave her the impression that she could destroy my cabin, and not face my wrath afterward?" She stormed off in the direction of Cabin Eight.

"No!" cried Chiron. "It was not entirely her fault!" Athena turned to stare him down, but he met her stare without flinching. "Thalia found out that Annabeth, your daughter, cheated on Percy, one of her best friends." Athena winced at this. Most of the campers gasped at the truth. "It was coincidence that she was in your cabin at that time. It could have easily been a couple of trees in the forest."

Athena had a pained look on her face. "If that is indeed the truth… then Thalia is not at fault." Her expression turned hard. "But Annabeth…" She gazed off in the distance. "My cabin _will_ be repaired?"

"Of course, Lady Athena. As soon as possible," said Chiron.

Athena nodded silently. "See to it. I must return to Olympus."

With a bright flash, she was gone.

The campers all heaved a sigh of relief. They had just been in the presence of a goddess whose cabin had just been destroyed, and they were still alive.

They exchanged glances with each other, and then ambled off to whatever activity they were doing. Chiron gave them a reassuring smile, and then cantered off towards Cabin Eight, where the Hunters, and Thalia, were.

"Thalia!" he called, knocking on the door to Artemis's cabin. When no one answered or opened the door, he knocked harder. "Thalia!"

Finally, the door opened. Phoebe stepped out of the cabin with her bow slung over her shoulder.

"Hello Chiron."

Chiron smiled kindly at Phoebe. "Hello Phoebe. I need to speak with Thalia."

"Well… I can take a message to her. What do you need to tell her?" asked Phoebe.

Chiron raised his eyebrows. "I need to speak with her in person, Phoebe… Where is she? Has she gone somewhere?" He squinted suspiciously through the open doorway.

Phoebe reached behind her to slam the door shut. "I suppose you could say that…"

Chiron nodded understandably. "She left, didn't she?"

"Um… Uh, well…" Phoebe stammered.

"Did she leave to go after Percy?"

Phoebe shook her head. "No. She left for the daughter of Athena."

Chiron's mouth gaped open, speechless for a moment. Then, he closed it. "Well, that's somewhat expected. Perhaps she can knock some sense into Annabeth."

"You… you are all right with Thalia going after the daughter of Athena to avenge her friend and cousin?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," Chiron said simply. "Annabeth… She has changed. Perhaps it is because Thalia never came to camp much to see her. If Thalia finds her, and talks with her, she might see the truth."

"You are worried about her," Phoebe stated.

Chiron nodded.

"You still care about her."

Again, he nodded.

"Why?" Phoebe questioned. "She is a disgrace to women. A man who leaves a woman? That is normal, even expected. But a woman who leaves a man with a pure heart is unheard of."

"Annabeth was guided in the wrong direction," Chiron said. "If certain forces were not working so hard to keep her and Percy apart, she would not have done so. I ask you to forgive her."

Phoebe didn't even have to think about it. "No. I do not know her very well, but her actions show me what she is like. I will not forgive her. The Hunters will not forgive her. And Lady Artemis will never forgive her."

Chiron sighed. "You will _never_ forgive her?"

"In time…" Phoebe paused.

"That is all I ask," said Chiron.

"And that is all I will give," replied Phoebe.

She stepped back into Cabin Eight, and closed the door softly. Chiron sighed again, slowly making his way back to the Big House.

**Percy's POV**

We landed on a sidewalk, cars streaming past us. I stepped onto the sidewalk. Blackjack devoured a donut that had somehow survived the fight with the hydra.

_This donut's delish, boss._

"So," said Nico, getting off Raven's back, "what are we going to do now, Perce?"

I paused. I hadn't really thought of that. "I… I still love her, Nico."

He grinned, like he knew I was going to say that. "Well, let's go, then." He got back on Raven's back.

"Wait… What?"

"We're going back," he said. Raven started off in the direction we came from.

I called him back. "Nico… We can't. I can't put her in danger. Do you have any idea how many monsters five demigods would attract? Especially if _three _of them were sons of the Big Three?"

He laughed. "Didn't Poseidon teach you how to cover your demigod scent?"

"Huh?" I had never even heard Poseidon mention that.

He frowned. "You seriously don't know?"

I slowly shook my head.

"Wow…" he muttered. "My father taught me… But the only reason he would was that Poseidon was going to teach you, and Zeus was going to teach Thalia…"

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to recall the few months of training at my father's underwater palace. I couldn't remember anything about shielding my demigod scent from monsters. But I could remember multiple times when that skill would have been really useful to know. I could also remember what my father had told me on the first day of training: _"I will teach you everything there is to know about water, Perseus."_

"He never taught me that…" I muttered. _Another betrayal._

"Well, I guess it's okay, since I can probably show you how," Nico said matter-of-factly.

"You can?" I asked, shocked.

Nico shrugged casually. "Sure, Perce."

_Maybe that's why he never taught me. Maybe it was because someone else would be able to teach me. _It made sense, but I couldn't believe it. _Hades only taught Nico… because he was sure Dad would teach me. Did Zeus show Thalia? Or was Nico the only one?_

"Okay," I said uncertainly. "Show me."

"Um… Well, it's easier if I just tell you first. Then you can try it. It's pretty simple." I nodded for him to go on. "Well, the Big Three all have their domains, right?" I nodded again. "My father has the Underworld, Poseidon has the ocean, and Zeus has the sky, right? It's really easy. You just draw energy from the domain and kind of… gather it around you."

"So you want me to gather energy from the ocean? What if there is no ocean?"

He sighed. "You really are a Kelp Head sometimes, Perce." I glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "You don't _need _the ocean. Don't you use water vapor to recharge your energy?"

"Yeah…" I said.

"My father's domain is the Underworld, but up here, it's the shadows. Zeus's domain is the sky, but Thalia can just use the air. And Poseidon's domain is the ocean, but you can use the water vapor in the air," he explained.

"Well… yeah. So how do I do it?" I asked.

"Like I said, it's easy. Can you sense the water vapor in the air?"

I nodded. It was something that came naturally to me.

"You can move it around, right?"

"Yeah," I said, slowly getting it.

"So all you have to do is surround yourself with it, like maybe three inches. You should probably start with half a foot to be sure. It took me a week to get it."

I closed my eyes. I could feel the water vapor around me. I had solidified it and vaporized it again and again in battles against my opponents, but I had never tried to surround myself in it before.

It was surprisingly easy. The invisible water droplets in the air willingly gathered around me. Soon, I had a somewhat protective new layer of water vapor around me, and the air around me was less humid than before. The energy drain was more than I expected, but not enough to make me tired.

I opened my eyes. "Did it work?"

Nico looked around. "Uh… I think so. It-"

A hellhound leapt out of the shadows and tackled him to the ground. It lunged for his throat, but Raven used her claws to carve a gouge in its shoulder. It whimpered in pain, and then disintegrated as Mrs. O'Leary clawed its throat out.

"Guess not," I muttered.

Nico grinned. "I think it worked."

"Right after I tried to cover my demigod scent, a hellhound pounced on you," I pointed out.

"My demigod scent wasn't covered," he said.

_So Nico wasn't lying to me._ But as happy as I was that it had worked, my thoughts turned dark. _If Nico wasn't lying, then Dad was the one who lied to me._ "Well, if we're going back, you should cover it now."

I watched as Nico stepping into the shadow of a tree and closed his eyes. The nearest shadows drifted closer to him. They touched him and seemed to disappear. But when I looked closely, I could see an aura of shadows surrounding him entirely. It made him look like he could melt into the darkness any moment. The shadow of the tree was less dark than before.

When I looked at myself, I was surprised to see that even though the water vapor was invisible, it looked like I had a bluish aura around me.

"Cool, isn't it?" Nico grinned at me.

"Yeah…"

Nico panted and put his hands on his knees.

"Are you tired?" I asked.

He nodded, breathing loudly. "It's harder for me," he panted. "Try finding shadows in the daytime. When I go in the sunlight, it gets harder to keep the shadows around me. They don't like the sun. It's way easier at night. You're so lucky. There's water wherever you go."

"No. Not at…" I paused, trying to think of a place where there wasn't water. "Nope, you're right. There's water wherever I go.," I said, trying to hide a smile.

Nico looked at me suspiciously. "Are you-?"

"Nope!" I ran to Blackjack, got on his back, and we took off.

Nico sighed, shook his head, and hopped on Raven. "Come on, Mrs. O'Leary!" he called.

They ran directly underneath us, in our shadow, as we flew to where I had fought the hydra.

As expected, the place was abandoned. There were scorch marks in the dirt, which were probably from the Greek fire Clarisse supposedly had.

"Over here!" Nico yelled, waving me over. He was crouched in the dirt, pointing at something in front of him.

I walked over to him, looked down, and there it was. An arrow was carved into the dirt pointing in a direction that could only be west.

My face broke into a smile. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Clarisse did have a nice side. Although Annabeth might carve an arrow into the dirt, she had no idea I was following them. And there was no way James would even think about pointing out where he was going. It had to be Clarisse.

"Is that arrow…" Nico trailed off. There were obviously thoughts running through his head.

"Yeah. You know, she _does _have a nice side, as much as she tries to hide it," I told him.

He stood up. "Clarisse?"

"Yep," I said. "Come on, let's follow the arrow."

This time, I got on Mrs. O'Leary. "Blackjack, fly above us, but not low enough for people to see you're a Pegasus."

_Sure boss._

"And don't call me boss," I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately, he heard me.

_Of course not boss_, he said in my mind before taking off.

Raven and Mrs. O'Leary ran west side-by-side. It didn't take long before we caught up to Clarisse, Annabeth, and James. They hadn't made much progress. We found them arguing barely two miles away from where their small campsite was. _Thank the gods…_ If they hadn't been talking so loudly, Mrs. O'Leary would have literally ran over them. But we stopped just in time and backed around a corner.

"Whew," breathed Nico. "That was close."

"Yeah," I whispered. "You think?"

"No," he said. "I know."

"Yes, Nico," said a female voice behind us. "That was close."

We both jumped and turned around. There were seven hooded figures wearing long cloaks, standing in a V-formation, with two people, one at the tip and one to the right of that person, who carried black bows with intricate silver designs.

Reacting purely on instinct, I uncapped Riptide and whipped it around to slice the speaker in half.

Moving almost faster than I could see, the hooded figures at the tip of the formation stepped forwards and brought the bow down to block my sword. Riptide skidded off the bow with sparks flying into the air, and I somehow managed to keep a hold on it. I used a precious second to look at the figure's bow. It was unmarked. Riptide hadn't even scratched the design.

The figure suddenly pulled out a short sword, still sheathed and swung it towards my head. I ducked, feeling the moving air ruffle my hair as it passed, thankfully, harmlessly over my head.

I swung at the figure again with Riptide. The figure dodged neatly to the side, and as I stabbed again, Riptide found its way in between the stick of the bow and the string. The figure instantly twisted the bow sharply to the side. Riptide was pressed against the string for a second, but as flexible as it obviously was, it didn't snap. My eyes widened as Riptide flew from my grasp.

The figure returned the sword from where it had been and pointed the black bow at me. I was disarmed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nico silently draw his sword. He ran forwards to slash at the figure who had disarmed me. The figure didn't move at all. I was starting to think that the figure was crazy as Nico came closer still, and the figure stood as still as a statue.

When Nico was a split second away from decapitating the figure, the figure who stood to the right of the tip of the V-formation, the one who had spoken and was obviously female, nocked an arrow and shot it.

The arrow sped towards Nico's sword with the speed of Hermes. It hit the blade of his sword, knocking it out of his hand. The arrow, evidently extremely powerful, didn't harm Nico's sword at all.

The figure who had shot the arrow already had another nocked on her bowstring, aimed directly at Nico.

"We're not enemies," she said.

"Then who the hell are you guys?" Nico asked. I knew he was thinking what I was thinking. _These guys fight like pros._

The figure who had disarmed me spoke up. "We are part of the Greek division of Chaos's army." The figure's voice indicated that she was female too. "We keep track of prophecies, quests, and other important things. We are here to _help_."

"What? But- Who…" I stammered. "Who is _Chaos_?"

She sighed. "Chaos is the first being. He is father of all. He is ruler of the universe."

"Who are _you_?" Nico asked.

The other figure answered him. "We are regular demigods, just like you, Nico," she said.

"But… But how-?"

"How are we so powerful?" she interrupted. Nico nodded. "We have taken the Oath of Chaos. It makes us more powerful."

"You say you are here to help, right?" The figures nodded together. "So where were you during the second Titan war?" I questioned. "We could've used some help."

They exchanged glances. "You didn't need our help," one of them said. "We only step in when you actually need it."

"So many demigods died in that war…" I said sadly. "You couldn't have just helped _a little bit_?"

They both looked down. "No."

I sighed angrily.

Then, Nico spoke up. He had an odd expression on his face, like he was trying to figure something out. "If you're regular demigods, then what are your names? Do I… know you? You knew my name."

Now that he mentioned it, I did feel like I recognized their voices, but I couldn't remember where. "Yeah…" I muttered.

"Of course I know your name, Nico. You know me," one of them said.

I stared at the other one, the one who had disarmed me, trying to see under the hood. All I could see was darkness.

She sighed. "Come on, Perseus. Do not tell me you have forgotten me so easily."

**AN: Well? Good chapter? I'm pretty sure you can tell who the hooded figures are… Did I make it too obvious?**

**Review? Please?**


	11. Shock and Introductions

**AN: Chapter 11. Wow, I'm surprised I've gotten this far. :D**

**Jenyla: Yeah…**

**aesir21: Yes… And yes.**

**Le Diablo Blanc2: Thanks. It's definitely not a Percabeth. The pairing is Percy and Zoe.**

**Child of Kronos: Yeah…**

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**The Goddamn Dark Knight: Yep.**

**Starstryker97: I'm actually not sure. You can make me one, but there's no guarantee it'll be in the story. But I'll try to find a place for him/her.**

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**Disclaimer: I'm no good at making new characters from scratch… So there is no way I own Percy Jackson.**

**Chapter 11: Shock and Introductions**

**Percy's POV**

"Bianca?" Nico whispered. "Bianca?"

For a moment, everything was still, but then the hooded figure standing in front of Nico threw back her hood. It was Bianca. She was grinning, and her brown eyes were gleaming. That was all I could see before Nico tackled her into a hug, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Hey Nico. Long time, no see," Bianca said.

I looked back at the obvious leader of the group, who still had her hood covering her face. She spoke again, and I couldn't help but recognize her voice. I just couldn't attach a face and name to the voice.

"You do not remember me, Perseus?"

"Um… Well," I stuttered, still trying and failing to figure out who she was.

One of the demigods she had brought with her spoke up. The organized V-formation had turned into an unorganized blob.

"Give him a hint," said a distinct male voice with a hint of laughter.

Somehow I knew she was laughing silently under that hood. "How about if I told you my father was Atlas?"

My eyes widened. "Calypso? How did you get off Ogygia?"

Her laughter rang out, soft and clear. "No, I am not Calypso."

"What? Then who _are_ you?" I wondered out loud.

She stayed silent, and I took that as my cue to start thinking, something I wasn't very good at. _Annabeth could probably figure this out in a second._

I tried to think of another daughter of Atlas. I remembered the year I had snuck away from camp to join a quest, at the end of which I had fought Atlas… And one of his daughters had sacrificed herself to save me.

"Z-Zoe?" I stammered.

Instead of replying to me, she simply slipped her hood back. She had long, black hair. There wasn't a silver circlet braided in this time, and it flowed freely over her shoulders. Those brown eyes that I still remembered shone brightly with a silvery tinge. Her lips curled up in a soft smile. She was beautiful.

I would have stood there all day, staring at Zoe with my mouth hung open if it weren't for Nico.

"So who are the rest of you guys?" he asked, still clinging tightly to Bianca.

I closed my mouth and turned my gaze to the other hooded demigods. They were all about the same height as me, except for one who was a couple inches taller. But unfortunately, I couldn't recognize people according to their height, so I was out of luck.

Bianca gently pried Nico's fingers off her arm, but let him clutch her hand like it was his lifeline. "Hoods off, guys," she said.

The shortest one took his off first, grinning at me mischievously under a mop of curly hair that barely covered the tips of his pointy ears.

"Hey guys!" he said cheerfully. "I am Leo Valdez, the, uh… the Likable and Valiant!"

"Shut up, Leo," said another demigod, lowering her hood.

She punched Leo in the arm, laughing when he rubbed it and grimaced in mock pain. Her face was beautiful, with chocolate colored hair framing a perfect mouth, a nose that wasn't too big or too small, and eyes that seemed to change color every second. She could only be a daughter of Aphrodite.

"Hi, I'm Piper McLean," she said, "daughter of Aphrodite. Leo's a son of Hephaestus."

Then, the tallest demigod stepped forwards. He was a good head taller than Piper, and as muscular as any son of Ares. His hood went down to reveal long, dark hair gathered together in a ponytail with bangs over half of his forehead, and a face covered in small scars.

"Oswell Miller, son of Hermes," he said, grinning down at me. He was as easy-going as any son of Hermes, and I knew I could get along with him easily. "Call me Oz."

The demigod in the back of the blob took off her hood, but made no move to come forwards. Her black hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and her dark blue eyes seemed to draw in the shadows. When she looked at you, it felt like she knew when you were going to die. I knew that feeling.

"Lianna Parker, daughter of Thanatos," she said in a soft voice. "Hi Percy. Hi Nico."

"Lia?" Nico and I asked at the same time.

We both knew her. I remembered Lia from meetings in the Big House. She was the senior cabin counselor for the Thanatos cabin. She had left for a quest and never came back.

"How's my brother?" asked Lia.

"Savion? I don't know," said Nico. "I haven't spent that much time in camp this year. I'm mostly in the Underworld."

They both turned to me. I remembered seeing Savion around camp, even talking to him every once in a while, but he would always break off the conversation suddenly and leave.

"I think he's lost hope that you will ever come back," I answered honestly. "He keeps telling me about how he thinks you're dead, but knows you're not."

Like me, Nico was obviously confused, but Lia just nodded sadly. "He hates me now, doesn't he?"

"What? No!" I objected. "He doesn't hate you! He… he just…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Leo was quick to help me. "Why would he hate you? You're freaking awesome!"

"He hates me," Lia said, talking over him, with acceptance in her voice. "He hates me because I left on a quest and never came back. I left him alone at Camp Half-Blood, in an empty cabin. When I left on that quest, the first couple of months, he had hope. He hoped that I could come back, and that everything would go back to normal. But when I didn't come back, he started to despair. But soon, that despair turned into anger. And that anger, strong and hot, developed into hatred, directed towards me. He hates me," she repeated, with a tone of finality. "Am I right?"

Lia knew it was true. There was nothing I could say that would make her think otherwise. But I tried anyways.

"He doesn't hate you at all," I said. "He just hasn't accepted that you aren't coming back."

"Am I right?" she asked again, somehow staring me down.

I relented under her gaze. "Yes."

She looked down and muttered something under her breath.

"What?"

Ignoring me, she turned to talk to Zoe. "We should leave now."

Another demigod still had a hood on.

"Wait! Who are you?" I asked the demigod.

The demigod didn't respond.

Zoe and Lia exchanged glances. Something unspoken passed between them, and Zoe said, "We will be here a while. Go check for monsters in our surroundings and keep watch. And you might as well go see how far the other three demigods have gotten."

Nodding, Lia stepped away from the rest of the group. I started walking towards her, opening my mouth to ask her what she was doing, but she shooed me away. When I didn't budge, Nico came and pulled me away.

"What-?"

My breath caught in my throat as powerful, gray wings snapped out from Lia's back.

As she jumped into the air and flapped her wings, Zoe gave her a small smile. Piper, Bianca, and Oz grinned up at her when her shadow fell over them. Leo pumped his fist in the air and yelled, "Your wings are freaking awesome!"

My mouth hung open in shock, but Nico didn't seem surprised at all, even giving Lia a small thumbs-up and waving as she flew away. There was no way he could've faked not being surprised.

"You knew?" I asked Nico.

He nodded.

"And you didn't tell me?"

He nodded again. _Another betrayal._

"Why?" My voice cracked.

"When she showed me, I freaked out, Perce. I wanted to tell you first thing, but I swore on the River Styx," he explained.

"Oh," I said, smiling a little. I could understand that. Unlike a certain daughter of Athena, Nico had a decent excuse for keeping me in the dark about something.

I shifted my attention back to the hooded demigod. "Who are you?"

The demigod didn't answer me.

"Take thy hood off," Zoe growled.

"I'd rather not," the demigod said in a voice too deep to be his normal voice.

Next to the demigod, Oz sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry, but you'll thank me for this later," he muttered.

He reached behind the demigod, grapping the hood and pulling it off. The demigod had no time to react.

My mouth dropped open for the fourth time that day.

The demigod had sandy blond hair and icy blue eyes. There was also a scar on his left cheek. I knew that face.

"Luke?"

"Hey Percy," he said. "Nice to see you again, Nico."

"I couldn't find you in Elysium," Nico said. "Figured you'd already tried for rebirth."

"This is rebirth," Luke answered. "Or at least, for me. I get a second chance, like starting over with a clean slate. You know, Chaos has an entire city, and it's nice to be able to walk through the streets with friends who have your back and always will." His voice turned bitter. "And to hear someone say your name without the word _traitor_ being used in the same sentence."

Oz awkwardly placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, and Piper hesitantly patted Luke on the back.

"So… why didn't you want to show us who you were?" Nico asked.

"I-I'm not sure," he stated truthfully. "I… I guess I was… a little afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?" I questioned.

"That… that you wouldn't… I can't explain," he muttered.

"That I wouldn't accept you?" I supplied.

He nodded. "Kind of. I know most people still think I'm a traitor back at Camp Half-Blood. I guess I just thought some of it might have rubbed off on you…"

"No way, Luke. You're still one of my best friends, man. And you're a good guy now. Even if some people at Camp Half-Blood can't remember that you died a hero, I won't forget."

"Wow," said Nico. "Big words for a son of Poseidon, especially you, Perce."

"Thanks, man," said Luke. "I guess I have to thank you too, Oz. Even though I still don't know why you did it."

Oz grinned. "No problem. It's just that I'd rather face an angry you than an angry Zoe."

Clearing her throat, and glaring at Oz, Zoe stepped in between us. "We should get going now."

No one wanted to object when her eyes were flashing dangerously, daring us to object.

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

"We are here to help you fulfill the prophecy. That is what we are going to do. We must first find the other three demigods and bring them to the Roman camp. They are not making enough progress."

"We're going to find Annabeth, James, Clarisse, and the Roman camp, just to fulfill a prophecy?"

Zoe confirmed it with a nod of her head, and started walking off in the direction Lia had flown off in.

"I'm not coming."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at me. "You must."

"No, I don't," I protested. "I don't want anything to do with this prophecy. The last Great Prophecy was focused on me. I don't need any more stress."

"Stress has never stopped you," Luke pointed out. "What's the real reason?"

I sighed. "The gods don't need my help."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked incredulously. "You almost single-handedly defeated Kronos last year. Without you, Olympus wouldn't exist right now."

I shook my head. "They needed me back then, not now. Now, they have James, my half-brother, also a powerful son of Poseidon."

Luke's jaw dropped. "What?"

"And he's fifteen. Apparently he was too lazy to drop by during the Titan war last year and help out."

Luke had recovered from his burst of shock. "Okay. You have a new half-brother. The gods don't need you anymore. But that still doesn't explain why you shouldn't help fulfill a prophecy."

I knew I had to tell him the truth now. "Annabeth," I choked out. "And…_ Poseidon_."

I had never referred to him as anything but my father, and Luke knew that. "_Poseidon_? And what did Annabeth do?"

"She cheated on me," I muttered. "With my own half-brother. And my own _father _approved of it. Even Athena."

Luke nodded sadly. "I understand."

"And now you know why I can't help find Annabeth, especially with James nearby."

Unexpectedly, Zoe stepped up to me, gripped my shoulders, and looked into my eyes. "Perseus. I know many people have caused you grief and unhappiness. Those who have do not deserve your help. But can you not help prevent more grief and unhappiness? There are gods and demigods who need you. Luke is right. The Titan war could not have been won without you. Whether you like it or not, you are needed, for the war, and for the prophecy."

I found myself nodding to her words, surprisingly accurate.

"All right," I grumbled.

Zoe nodded calmly, like she knew I would do that.

And then, for the fifth time, shocked flooded through me. I jumped and went cross-eyed, staring at the arrow that flew out of nowhere and embedded itself inches from my nose, in a crack in the wall.

**AN: I officially suck at cliffhangers. Not much action in this chapter. Shortest one yet. I hope you liked it anyways!**

**So, OC makers, how did I do your OCs? And for the rest of you, how'd you like the OCs? Good? Bad? Likes? Dislikes? Review! ;D**


	12. Unfinished Business and Story Time

**AN: Chapter 12! Thanks to my awesome reviewers!**

**L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: Yes. Kind of. No. Wow, you guys are so good at guessing. Or maybe I'm just too good at making things obvious.**

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**OmegaExodus: Thanks! It's the least I can do, since you were one of the few people who actually made me OCs. Most of them actually… :)**

**LyingTruth123: Thank you! Maybe death is a little too extreme? I don't know. I'm just gonna let the story write itself, see what happens. And I like Clarisse too! :D**

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**AnimeXMangaAddict: I'm not sure about Percy taking the Oath of Chaos. And yeah, it was Thalia. :)**

**Disclaimer: Own Percy Jackson, I do not. Unfortunately.**

**Chapter 12: Unfinished Business and Story Time**

**Percy's POV**

Immediately, my hand flew to my pocket and drew out a ballpoint pen. Uncapping it, I turned to face the person who had shot the arrow. Thank the gods my reflexes were fast enough to whip Riptide around in front of my face to deflect another silver arrow aimed straight at my head.

As it clanged off, I realized that if it hadn't been stopped, that arrow would have buried itself into my skull. Whoever was shooting was shooting to kill.

I finally caught a glimpse of my assailant when another arrow flew past my ear, but I was still to far away to see who she was. She wore the silver clothing of a Hunter of Artemis, which explained the silver arrows, and her aim with them. Her bow was already nocked with another arrow.

I risked a backwards glance, and saw Oz, Luke, Piper, and Leo staring at my attacker, weapons raised. They were obviously trying to help me, but Zoe had her arm out, stopping them. Bianca was hugging Nico tightly, and even though he had a hand on the hilt of his sword, he couldn't unsheathe it. Zoe and Bianca both had wide grins on their faces, and Zoe made a shooing motion towards me. When I glared at her, she let out a soft laugh.

I turned around just in time to see a small object flying towards me. The Hunter of Artemis had thrown it to me. Caught by surprise, I still managed to catch it.

It was a square of ambrosia.

While I had been looking at the ambrosia at my hand, the Hunter had walked forwards and now stood only a few feet away from me. Now, she was close enough for me to identify her.

"Thalia?" I asked, after I got over my shock.

She nodded, confirmed what I already knew, and I instantly capped Riptide, returning it to my pocket.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with the rest of the Hunters."

She smirked. "I had a little _unfinished business_ with… some people… so I left for a while."

The way she said "_unfinished business_" made me cringe a little and automatically feel bad for those people, whoever they were. They were extremely unlucky to have an angry daughter of Zeus after them.

"I feel bad for whoever they are. Who are they?" I wondered out loud.

"You're one of them," she answered, a wide grin on her face.

I only had time for a single "huh?" before her fist made contact with my nose.

_Thalia can throw a mean punch._ That was my only thought as I staggered back under the force of the daughter of Zeus's fist. Not "_Why the Hades did Thalia just punch me?_"or "_Man, I am so glad to see Thalia right now… Did she just punch me in the face?_"

"What was that for?" I mumbled through a broken nose.

I must've looked pretty funny, because Thalia started laughing. Soon, Zoe and Bianca were laughing loudly along with her, while the rest of us just stared blankly at them.

It took me a full five seconds after rummaging around in my pockets for anything that could help my broken nose to realize that I had been clutching a square of ambrosia in my hand the entire time. After swallowing it and grimacing as the skin on my nose knitted itself back together, I glared at Thalia.

"What was that for?" I repeated, angrier this time.

"I found your note," she explained. "The part you wrote to Annabeth is exactly what she deserves. I bet Chiron misses you for the part you wrote for him. You told Nico not to come after you, and he's right here." She pointed at Nico, who shrugged. "You know, I'm touched that I'm one of your favorite cousins, _Kelp Head_, but you've got to be crazy to tell me, even in a note, to forget about you, and that it's _best that way_." Her voice rose in pitch and volume. "Perce, your head really must be filled with kelp if you think that it's best for you to be forgotten. Don't think I'll do what that stupid daughter of Athena has done. I won't betray you, Kelp Head, and you'd better believe it. And don't you _dare _leave and write me a note like that again, or I swear on the River Styx I will hunt you down myself."

I had never heard Thalia burst out like that before, so I probably said something like, "Uh… okay, I'm sorry… But you didn't have to break my nose…"

When she remained silent, I thought she was going to shoot another arrow at me, or blast me with lightning. But then, a large grin split her face in half.

"Well, I gave you some ambrosia first, didn't I?"

I sighed. "Yeah. But that doesn't exactly make it any better."

"It healed your nose, Kelp Head," Thalia pointed out.

I sighed again, and Thalia's grin widened.

"So, who were the other people you had… '_unfinished business' _with?" I asked.

"Annabeth… and James. Want to come?"

Bianca had let go of Nico, and he came to stand next to me. "I don't personally have a grudge against James, but I should. And Annabeth better watch out, 'cause I'm going to give her what she deserves," he said. "I'm in."

I grinned. "Count me in too."

"Wait!" shouted Zoe. "You… you can't just leave!"

I groaned and mentally face palmed. I had forgotten about Zoe. "Why not?"

"We need you, Perseus," she said. "Whether you-"

"Wait a second," Thalia interrupted, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. "Zoe? Zoe… Nightshade?"

"Yes," Zoe replied. "And you are Thalia Grace."

For once, Thalia didn't complain about someone using her last name, and completely ignored the fact that Zoe had used it. "B-But… you died!" she stammered.

"I am alive now," Zoe replied.

"Well, yeah… But…" she trailed off. "How?"

Bianca gently pushed her way through Nico and I, and went to stand beside Zoe. "Thalia? I'm back too."

Thalia's mouth was moving rapidly, but no sound was coming out. She finally got a hold of her voice again, and pointed angrily at me. "Kelp Head. Death Boy." She moved her finger to Nico. "What is going on?"

"What?" Nico exclaimed. "I have no idea! Perce and I were just standing there, and when we turned around, they… I don't know. They just appeared?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow at me, and I rushed to defend myself. "Look, Pinecone Face, I seriously have_ no idea _how they're alive and all that, but Zoe said they're all part of Chaos's army."

"Chaos?" Thalia asked.

"The first being, father of all, ruler of the universe," Zoe cut in. "He offers us a chance to keep fighting against evil, even after death, instead of partying away day and night in Elysium for eternity."

"So everyone who joins has to die first?"

"Most of them," answered Bianca. "There are a lot of exceptions, though."

"So… is Luke…"

Behind me, Luke shifted nervously. I could tell that he was apprehensive about telling Thalia that he was there.

"Luke," I whispered. "Come on, she'll be _happy _to see you." Without waiting for an answer, I raised my voice, "Thalia!"

When she turned and looked at me with a question in her eyes, I pushed Luke forwards.

Thalia's eyes widened and she said tentatively, "Luke?"

He grinned. "Hey, Thals."

She grinned back and did something really unexpected. She hugged him. "I missed you."

After some hesitation, Luke hugged her back. "I missed you too."

"So, you joined Chaos's army?" Thalia said, after they broke apart.

"Yeah." Luke smiled. "You know, one of my best friends came here with me." He pointed at Oz. "This is Oz."

"Hey," Oz said.

"Hey… Who else is there?" Thalia asked.

"Leo Valdez!" Leo shouted. "The Likeable and-" The grin on his face was suddenly replaced by a grimace of pain as Piper jabbed her elbow into his side.

"And I'm Piper McLean," she said.

"The Beauty Queen," Leo muttered.

"Shut up, Leo," Piper growled.

"Okay, okay!" Leo said. "Jeez, Beauty Queen."

"Leo-"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

Luke sighed. "Every single day… And there's Lia, who just went to scout the perimeter. Speaking of which, she should be back by now…"

"Lia?" asked Thalia. "I remember her. Isn't she the daughter of Thanatos?"

Luke nodded.

"We are going off topic," Zoe noted. "Perseus, you are, once again, the child of the Great Prophecy, and whether you like it or not, we need you."

"Annabeth's on a quest, right?" Thalia suddenly asked. "With James and Clarisse?" Zoe nodded. "What's their quest?"

"The gods need more heroes for the war," Zoe explained. "James is leading a quest with Annabeth and Clarisse to find the Roman camp and ask for the help of the Roman demigods."

Thalia nodded slowly. "So how about a compromise? She suggested. "We help you get them to the Roman camp and finish our business with them along the way."

Zoe thought for a while. "We get them to the Roman camp first, and when the Roman demigods agree to help, you can 'finish your business' with them."

"Deal," said Thalia.

Nico and I nodded our consent.

**Mystery Person's POV**

"So… are you saying that you and your army are currently in a _war_ with the gods, who are _our parents_, and you want _us_ to help you fight _them_?"

I groaned and raised my eyes to the ceiling. Wred E. Scet, a son of Athena, was too smart for his own good. So were the rest of his half-siblings. Thank the titans there was only one of them.

"Well," I said. "As a matter of fact, yes."

Ruku spoke up. "And why in the world would we fight our own parents?"

Sons of Apollo weren't supposed to be smart.

"Because… _I_," I gestured to myself, "am a _titan._ The _gods_, your parents, are the _children _of the _titans_. They have been ruling for a _long _time. We, the _titans_, as their parents, think that they have been ruling for too long, and that they are becoming corrupt. We think we could do a better job of ruling. Since the _gods_, your parents, have refused to step down and surrender the throne, we have gone to war against them," I explained.

"So your justification for war is that they have been ruling and in power for too long, and you want to rule instead?" Wred asked. "And you don't have to talk so slowly and emphasize every word; I'm not stupid."

I still couldn't outsmart a child of Athena, even after centuries of practice.

_Mother? A little help here? Please? _I asked in my head.

I had to wait a while before there was any reply. _Tell them the story of Kronos, when the gods were born, _she said.

_What? How will that help? Kronos swallows the gods alive!_

_Tell them the reason he did it. Tell them why._

I tried reasoning with her. _Mother, you are a better storyteller. You should tell them the story. I will probably just mess things up._

She sighed. _Fine. I'm coming._

I sighed in relief.

The door cracked open, and the same middle-aged woman the demigods all remembered stepped inside.

"Alright, children! Story time!" my mother said enthusiastically with a soft smile on her face.

The demigods all obediently sat down, forming a small circle. "Oh, I _love_ story time!" said the youngest one, Violet.

_I will never understand how you do that_, I told my mother. _But can you tell me?_

_Son, watch and learn,_ she said.

I watched as she told the story of Kronos and the birth of the gods, using sound effects and hand gestures to make it seem more real. But I didn't learn.

"Back then, prophecies were very, very important," she said. "And they still are today. So, when Kronos heard the prophecy that one of his children would defeat him and take his place as king, he tried all that he could to prevent that from happening. You see… the gods were very young. They did not have the wisdom and responsibility to take the throne. Kronos knew this, but he couldn't find a solution to the problem. He knew that if he let his children grow up, and if he taught them how to fight, they would fight him, and defeat him. So he swallowed them."

"What?" Wred blurted out. "He… he _swallowed_ them? Like… like _food_?" My mother nodded. "But there are better solutions. Didn't my mother, Athena, tell him that if he acted more like a father, they wouldn't turn against him?"

"Athena is not one of the oldest gods. She was born long after the other gods," she informed him. "She is the goddess of wisdom, and if she told him that, Kronos would have listened. But Kronos had no goddess of wisdom to help guide him."

"Oh." Wred sat back, nodding.

"You see why he did that now? Where were we?" my mother asked. _This is to see if they were paying attention,_ she said to me.

"Kronos swallowed his children," said Jane, the daughter of Demeter, and one of the oldest demigods we had.

"Ah, yes. Kronos swallowed his children," my mother repeated. "He had no choice. The gods were immortal, and grew up inside his stomach. However, when his youngest child, Zeus, was born, Rhea, his wife, hid Zeus and gave Kronos a stone to swallow instead. Rhea did not know that Kronos was just trying to protect his children, in his own way, from the responsibilities and hardships of handling the throne. Then, when Zeus grew up, he went to defeat Kronos and take his father's throne. Now, normally, when a son wants to challenge his father for the throne, what does he do?"

Wred raised his hand and said, "He fights his father?"

"Yes, but with what?"

"Normally, it's with a sword, but basically any weapon that the son has trained with all his life."

My mother nodded. "You are correct, Wred. But do you know what Zeus did? He poisoned Kronos's drink." The demigods gasped. "Does that sound fair?"

"No," Jane murmured. "Definitely not."

"No, it wasn't fair at all. The poison made Kronos throw up his children, and by then, they were all grown up. They all teamed up together against their father, and fought him. They refused to listen to his reasons. It was six against one, and Kronos was already weakened from the poison, but it still took a long time for the gods to defeat him. And what does that prove?"

"It proves that he's strong?" Wred asked.

"Yes," said my mother. "But more importantly, it proves that he is a strong _leader_. When Zeus and the other gods finally defeated Kronos, they cut him up into tiny pieces and tossed him into Tartarus, which was like a jail. Remember, Kronos was immortal, and he couldn't die. Just last year, he got strong enough to try to take back his place as the rightful king. But there are many other children just like you, demigods. They fought against him and held him off until the gods came. This time, there were twelve gods, including your mother, Athena." She looked at Wred. "As the goddess of wisdom, Athena outsmarted Kronos, and he simply could not win. And again, they cut him into little pieces and tossed him into Tartarus."

The demigods slowly started to move again. Most of them had sat still the entire time during the story.

Suddenly, the door crashed open.

"What-" the word slid out of my mouth.

"My lord!" an _empousa_ said breathlessly when she saw medis. There was an ugly bruise on her cheek, and she was wincing. "We captured this demigod. Your son helped. She-"

She was cut off when something slammed into her back, and she stumbled forwards. She had been standing in front of a group of _dracanae_ who were guarding the demigod. The demigod had head butted her and was now fighting the _dracanae_ with her hands tied together behind her back.

"We need reinforcements!" the _empousa _called loudly.

The demigod continued incapacitating the _dracanae_, but the reinforcements had arrived, and for every _dracanae_ that fell, another would fill in the space. Oddly, the fallen _dracanae_ were still alive. The demigod was obviously just trying to stop them without actually killing them. _Why aren't you aiming to kill?_ I wondered.

As more and more _dracanae_ arrived, the demigod began to tire. But just as she was going to be overwhelmed, something gray shot out of her back. With a start, I realized they were wings.

The demigod used her wings to fight the _dracanae_ off as easily as if she were using her hands and feet. One would dart out, and the other would be held protectively around her, like a shield. Each _dracanae_ she hit would scream in pain, and I realized that the feathers of her wings were lined with thin metal. The screams never cut off, so I knew she still wasn't aiming to kill. _Why not?_

But as good as she was, she was only one demigod, and the _dracanae_ kept coming. The fact that she either couldn't or wouldn't kill them worked against her, and she was immobilized once more.

This time, the _dracanae_ also looped a chain around her upper back, preventing her wings from coming out, although the metal lacing the feathers on them could be sharp enough to cut through it.

"Next time," I said, "have the demigod restrained or unconscious before you bring her to me."

"Yes, my lord," the empousa wheezed. She had a cut on her cheek now. "What shall we do with her?"

"Just put her in a cell. I will be there shortly to talk with her."

"Yes, my lord."

The _dracanae_ dragged the demigod away, but not before I saw her staring at me. There was nothing in her eyes but annoyance. The captured demigods usually reserved a hateful glare for me, or wore a pleading expression. But never had one looked at me in annoyance.

As soon as the door closed, I turned my back to it. The demigods had varying expressions. Most of them looked surprised. Wred glared at me, and Ruku had a calculating look on his face.

I opened my mouth to try to explain what had just happened, and then closed it when I heard the door creak open behind me. I sighed, but froze when I heard the voice.

"Father?"

**AN: Sorry for the late update, guys. I've been busy. Thanksgiving, a headache, a fever, watching movies, and setting up Christmas decorations, which took a long time, and we're still not finished!**

**Ten reviews last time… Well, another big thanks to the people who reviewed! Let's make it to at least eleven this time, eh? :D**


	13. Training

**AN: It's on to chapter 13 now!**

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**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson is not mine…**

**Chapter 13: Training**

**Lia's POV (30 minutes before)**

I spread my wings, jumped off the ground, and flapped once, twice.

As I flew swiftly away, I heard Leo yell, "Your wings are freaking awesome!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. How Leo still had the same reaction to my wings after nearly six months was lost to me.

Before starting my tasks, I hovered in the air and activated the thick bracelet around my left wrist, protecting my mortal fatal flaw. It was a gift from my father, along with the wings on my back. I twisted it and watched it expand neatly into a shield with a long, thin-pointed dagger attached to the front. I pushed the hilt of the dagger, caught it as it fell off, and held it in my right hand. **(1)**

I decided to do a monster check first and flew a couple hundred feet up, checking for any signs of movement, or monsters. After finding none, I came to the conclusion that the monsters were either non-existent in these areas, or just really good at hiding. I hoped it was the former, but unfortunately, as I later found out, it was the latter.

With the first thing on my to-do list checked off, I went to the second thing: demigod check. I made my way to where I had last seen the demigods and hid myself in a nearby tree. I let out a frustrated groan when they weren't there. _They just have to make my job harder._

I was about to take off again when I heard the sudden intake of breath behind me. I looked over my shoulder, and there he was, one of the demigods on the quest. _James, was that his name?_ The other two, Clarisse and Annabeth, weren't with him.

I didn't have time to wonder where they were. James's face was contorted with pain, and his eyes were filled with fear. His arms were held behind his back, and blood ran freely down his neck where an _empousa _held a knife to his throat. The _empousa _was backed up with at least twenty _dracanae_.

One of the _dracanae_, the biggest and the leader, flicked her eyes around and hissed, "We know you are there, demigod. Come out, or we ssshall cut this one to piecesss."

I hesitated. The first thing a demigod learned was not to willingly do anything a monster said. I weighed the situation. If I stayed hidden, James would most likely die. But if I revealed myself, the monsters might attack me, and James might die anyways.

The _dracanae _narrowed her eyes. "Ssshow yourssself, demigod. Do you require more persssuasssion?" She nodded at the _empousa_, who smiled wickedly.

James gulped and winced as the blade cut even deeper. "No," he croaked. He jerked his head back, trying in vain to avoid more pain from the sharp dagger.

I considered trying to fight off the monsters, but couldn't think of a way to do it without endangering James's life. Besides, fighting wasn't my nature.

"Demigod!" the _dracanae _snarled. "Thisss isss your lassst warning. Come out, or we ssshall ssstart cutting."

I didn't move a muscle. The _dracanae _glanced around and whispered to the _empousa_, "Fingersss firssst. Let'sss sssee if that worksss."

The _empousa _grinned malevolently. She lowered the dagger from James's neck, but only to grab his hand and force the knife down on one of his fingers. James shut his eyes tightly, unwilling to see what was about to happen to his hand.

Sighing, and mentally punching myself, I stepped out of the trees and into the open, directly in front of them. Instantly, the blade stopped its track towards James's finger, although it was still close enough to sever it in the blink of an eye.

"Good," the _dracanae_ said. "Now come here."

"Why would I do that?" I muttered.

She pulled out a coil of rope. "Ssso I can bind your handsss."

"No," I said, unsheathing Sabre, my sword, and getting into a defensive stance. "I'd rather fight you."

Surprisingly, it was the _empousa _who laughed and answered, "Do you really think you are in any position to negotiate?" My eyes flicked over to James, who grimaced in pain as more blood trickled down his neck. The _empousa _pulled another dagger from her belt and, after twirling it around her fingers, placed it across James's neck again. "Stay, and he dies. Come, and he lives. It's as simple as that."

I sheathed Sabre and walked over to them. _I'm in Chaos's army. I can handle anything these monsters throw at me,_ I convinced myself.

The _dracanae _grabbed my hands and roughly forced them behind my back, tying them together. Another _dracanae _took Sabre. I turned my head towards James, hoping the _empousa _hadn't already killed him.

But instead, the _empousa_, after seeing me subdued, immediately released James, who harshly shoved her away from him.

"Oh my titans, don't you _dare _touch me again!" he snapped. "Somebody get me a bandage or something."

The _empousa _meekly took out a bandage and gave it to him. "My apologies, my lord."

James held the bandage to his neck to stop the blood flow. "You didn't have to press so hard."

"My apologies," she repeated. "I was only trying to make it look convincing."

"Convincing? I think it was convincing enough." He gestured at me. "Too convincing, in fact." He rubbed his neck carefully. "It probably didn't have to hurt that much."

"My apologies," the _empousa _said for a third time.

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't press as hard the next time you do it."

"Yes, my lord."

What was going on? James was supposed to be the hope for Camp Half-Blood, being the one with the quest for help from the Romans. If he knew, I couldn't imagine Chiron being more shocked or disappointed.

A Cyclops shoved his way through the undergrowth "You got the demigod?" he growled.

The _empousa _smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She shoved me forwards. I tripped and fell, turning at the last moment to avoid doing a face plant in the ground and instead land on my side.

The Cyclops's startled eyes popped wide open. "She is still conscious?" he snarled. "She is a powerful soldier in the army of Chaos! Knock her out! Knock her out!"

The _empousa _looked down at me. "Her? A _powerful soldier in the army of Chaos_? Not likely. We captured her so eas-"

"Knock her out!" the Cyclops screamed.

The _empousa _obediently hauled me to my feet and punched my temple, hard.

Everything went black, and I was alone in the dark with only my wild thoughts running through my head.

**Mystery Person's POV**

I tried to ignore the ten other demigods who were staring at me and silently begging me to come up with explanations for what had just happened.

Ruku was glaring at me and had a look of betrayal on his face, but also acceptance, and I got the feeling that he had been expecting something like that to happen. Wred had his hard, calculating look on. Jane held Violet firmly and protectively in her lap while the six-year-old stared at the door. The other demigods had looks that ranged from confusion to anger and hate. I would have to fix that later.

I focused on the voice that had just spoken, and turned around slowly. I saw a boy with black hair and green eyes in front of the door. I started to reach for my sword but stopped my hand when I realized it wasn't that blasted son of Poseidon. I would have to get used to this boy's new appearance as the son of the sea god.

"Father?" the boy said again.

"Son?" I asked, recognizing him as my son. "James! I must get used to your appearance. You look like one of the sea god's scum."

James reached up and tugged a long bang down, eying it with contempt. "Yeah, I do, Father," he muttered. "I'll be glad to be back with my normal hair and eye color when I'm done with this mission. Everything I look at has a slight green tinge around it."

"Don't complain, Son. You haven't gone colorblind yet, have you?"

"No."

"Then there is nothing to fear," I said as encouragingly as I could with ten demigods staring at me with their mouths hung open in shock. We had already revealed too much. "Did you have something to tell me? Something you need?" I asked lightly, glancing at the other demigods out of the corner of my eye.

"Yeah. I-"

_Not here_, I interrupted in his head. He was well used to it now, and gave no indication that he was having a conversation with me. _I am trying to recruit demigods. Let me dismiss them first, and then we can speak._

James gave a slight nod.

"Um… Lesson over for today, demigods! Mother, can you take them somewhere? To… play?"

"Of course." My mother led the children outside quickly, shutting the door behind them so fast that none of them had the chance to say a word in protest.

_You may have ruined our chances with these demigods. _My mother's voice sounded angrily in my head. _They are uncertain if what you say is true or false. This broken bond will not heal easily._

_I know, Mother. I will attend business after that of my son's._

"So, James," I said. "Why are you here? Have you run out of hair dye? I made sure you had more than enough, and even a magical bag to carry it in."

James ran a hand through his hair. When he pulled it out, his hand was covered in a light dusting of black powder. Sure enough, when I looked closely at his hair, it looked more dark brown than black.

"Yeah," said James, staring at his hand and wiping it off on his pants. "I think I do need some more, but that's not why I came." He paused with a nervous look on his face. "This quest is taking too long."

"What?"

"It's taking too long, Father," he said. "I'm tired of wandering around New York with those stupid campers. We should be in California already! Isn't there something you can do? Can you get me some transportation to the Roman camp? I don't think I can survive another day with _them._" I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. "No! Don't say it! I know you want me to just suck it up and deal with it, but I can't. Not this time."

I thought for a second. "I can provide transportation…" I said slowly, "but only if you help me."

James's face split into a grin. "What do you need?" He knew that I never gave him tasks that were harder than he could accomplish.

"Talk to the demigods. Explain to them why we are better than the gods. If they see someone more around their age, they will most likely listen more."

"That's it?" he asked.

I confirmed it with a nod of my head.

"But how?"

A slow smile spread across my face. "Son, I know just what you should do. I just hope your acting skills are up to it."

**Ruku's POV**

The nice-looking middle-aged lady shoved us, gently, back into the large cell we had been in. Before that had happened, I actually thought she was nice. But now, I was really starting to have doubts.

The door shut almost silently behind her. All ten of us stared at the door and exchanged glances. Who knew when they were going to let us out again? And why were we in a cell?

Our answer came in the form of a teenager crashing through the left wall of the cell.

I had been playing poker with Jane, Wred, a nine-year-old son of Hermes named Zen, and a nine-year-old daughter of Nike, Serena, using small pieces of hard dirt as poker chips. A deck of cards had been tossed through the slot in the door a couple minutes before to entertain us.

My mother was a gambler, and growing up, I quickly learned her skills. Wred was a son of Athena, and picked up the game quickly. Zen was naturally good at gambling games, being a son of Hermes. Serena, as a daughter of the goddess of victory, couldn't lose easily. But Jane had no chance. Demeter had no poker skills to give her, and her father was a teacher.

We all scrambled back from the dirt wall in surprise when it caved in, sending dust into the air. A boy with black hair and green eyes walked out of the dust. He started grinning when he saw us. Behind him, the dirt raised up to patch the large hole in the wall.

I ran over to the wall and slammed my hand down on the dirt. It was hardening, and in a matter of seconds it was just as hard as before, if not, harder. I punched the wall half-heartedly a couple more times, just hoping that it would fall down.

"Don't bother," the new boy said. "It's probably as hard as rock at this point. Just wait a minute and we can probably find our way out of here."

My attention focused on him. "How did you get in here? And why are you so confident? We're trapped… in a locked cell."

He laughed. "I can see that. It's just another test."

"Test?" I wondered out loud. "A test? Where they lock you in a cell?"

"How long have you been here?" he asked, frowning.

I looked at Wred, who had a watch. "About half an hour," he said. "It's been getting boring. They dropped the cards in about fifteen minutes ago." He gestured to the deck of cards lying on the ground.

"No," the boy said, frustrated. He obviously lost his temper easily. "I mean, how long have you been _here_? As in this titan camp. Not this cell." He tapped the ground with his foot.

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe a couple of days."

He nodded. "So you must be one of the newer ones." He glanced around at all of us. "Are you guys demigods?"

"Yeah," I answered for all of us. "How about you?"

For once, the cocky grin slipped off his face. "I… I'm kind of an exception, you might say."

"What do you mean?" asked Wred, his cool and calculating look back on his face.

"I'm… a demi_titan_."

I was speechless. Demi_titan_? Was that even possible? There was only demi_god_. The gods had children… But the titans did too?

Wred wasn't surprised at all. Or if he was, he just didn't show it. Man, he had one hell of a poker face. The look on his face said that he had expected that, and the only emotion was acceptance. I guess that's exactly what you would expect from a son of Athena.

"What are you then?" Wred asked bluntly.

"What do you mean, what am I?" James had a confused look on his face. "Didn't I just tell you? I'm a demititan."

"So there's nothing different about you? You're just the same as demigods, except with the blood of a titan's instead of a god's."

"No, there's not really anything different… It's just that I'm more powerful than most demigods. The titans are way older than the gods," he explained when Wred's eyes widened dramatically, "so they naturally have more power. And as a son of a titan, I am naturally more powerful than most of the other demigods. But the children of the Big Three are like equals to me."

Wred nodded slowly. "I guess that does make sense. The more powerful the parent, the more powerful the child?"

"Yeah…" The boy looked Wred up and down, stopping at Wred's intelligent gray eyes. "Son of Athena?"

"Yes."

"That explains why you talk like an adult. But it doesn't explain why you guys aren't already out of this cell." Before Wred could take offense, the boy walked over to the cell door and started tampering with it.

"There's no way you can open that door," said Wred. "I've already tried."

The boy turned back to us, grinning. "I've got more than a few tricks up my sleeve. Literally."

To my surprise, he reached up his left sleeve and pulled out a ten-inch sheathed dagger. He pulled another identical dagger out of the opposite sleeve. His arrogant smile grew wider, and Wred snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Not impressed yet, son of Athena? What are you, nine years old?"

"How did you know that?"

The boy laughed. "You look nine," he stated plainly.

Wred sighed.

"I'm smarter than I look," the boy said. "There _are _some people in the world who can think. And it's not always the children of Athena."

Wred made no reply to that.

The boy, not hearing a comeback, turned back to the door. With three swift slashes from the twin daggers, the door fell inwards with a loud _thump_.

He turned back to us. "You were saying something about not being able to open the door?" He stuck his head around the edge of the doorway, peering down the long hallway. "All clear… Shall we?"

"Wow," breathed Jane. "I did not see that coming."

"I'll bet you didn't," the boy replied, sheathing his daggers. "Let's go!" Without waiting to see if we were following, he turned and started jogging down the hallway.

Jane followed him without hesitating, pulling Violet along with her. I stepped out after her. The rest of the demigods followed me. Wred was the last to come. He looked uncertain to go with someone we had just met, but probably decided that it was better than staying in the cell.

"Wait!" Wred cried.

The boy stopped and looked back at us. He smirked when he saw that Wred had spoken. "Yeah?"

"You said it was a test. The titans give their children tests where they lock them in cells, and see if they can escape? The gods must be better than that."

The boy's eyes darkened. "The gods are _not _better than the titans. This kind of a test is my father's, a titan, way of training me for the war, so there is less of a chance of me dying. The gods chose to ignore their children. They do _not _help train their children, and instead send them to a _camp_. Most campers there _never_ learn how to fight properly." Wred was centered in the boy's dark glare. "Do not _ever _say that the _gods _are better than the _titans_."

There was a camp? For demigods? I didn't even know that it existed, let alone where it was. I was starting to doubt the fact that Apollo cared about me and wonder if Apollo even knew about me.

Wred backed down. "Okay," he said in a small voice.

I stepped forwards, pulled Wred behind me. "Okay. Where do we go now?"

The boy smiled again, and it seemed like the glare had never even existed. "That's easy. We find my father and tell him that I succeeded."

**(1) This might be a bit confusing. Just try to imagine a small, circular shield. Now imagine a single intricate design on the front in the shape of, well, a dagger. There is a button on the hilt, disguised as a black gem. You press it, and the dagger is released from the shield.**

**AN: I seem to be getting less and less reviews. Oh, well. I guess I can't complain. But review! Please?**

**And I also need a beta. Not just grammar, spelling, etc. But I think I need more help on the plot. There are too many choices to choose from. So if you want to be my beta, please PM me! Thanks, and I hope you liked this chapter! :D**


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